Tiny pacemaker developed by scientists can fit in a syringe

musaddiqalii

Apr 3, 2025 - 14:01

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Tiny pacemaker developed by scientists can fit in a syringe

A collage shows the tiny pacemaker placed on a fingerprint next to a rice grain for scale; in the background, a more zoomed-in image shows the pacemaker next to a needle boar.

Scientists at Northwestern University unveiled what may be the world's tiniest pacemaker, with new research published in Nature on Wednesday.

Smaller than a grain of rice, the soft device fits in a syringe, so that it can be inserted non-invasively. When no longer needed, the tiny pacemaker dissolves, so that there's no need for a removal surgery.

According to professor Igor Efimov, a co-lead in the study, about one percent of children worldwide are born with congenital heart defects. And though they only need a pacemaker for about a week after a surgery, after which the heart begins to self-repair, those seven days, Efimov said in a press release, are absolutely crucial.