Imagine a plaster. do you see it? It’s as thin as a postage stamp. Or, if you like, it has the almost impalpable thickness of a lock of hair. And then think of such a fine structure, almost like tissue paper, that it is applied like a tattoo on the wall of the heart.
If you can imagine something like this, you are probably looking at the first graphene heart implant described by experts at the University of Texas at Austin and Northwestern on the pages of Advanced Materials.
It is a prototype that has a truly priceless feature. It is not a miniaturized instrument that is placed in the body as is the case with currently implanted pacemakers and defibrillators, but rather becomes a kind of tattoo that integrates perfectly into the wall of the heart until it blends perfectly with the contours of the heart. Furthermore, it is so robust and elastic that it can withstand heart contractions without difficulty (experimentally at the moment).
The wireless pacemaker is coming that “melts” when it is no longer needed
by Federico Mereta
The ingredients”? Graphene with light
The system was made of graphene, due to the characteristics of this material which combines great resistance with lightness and the ability to conduct electrical signals. We are only at the beginning of laboratory experiments, but it has been seen that the “pacemaker tattoo” could be applied to the heart.
And this is the key step for the possible future developments of the research, as one of the research coordinators points out in a press release from the university, Igor Efimovwho worked together with Dmitry Kireev: “The device is soft and flexible but also fits intimately and seamlessly directly to the heart to provide more precise measurements.” Graphene, derived from particularly thin and resistant carbon, was chosen in particular for its maximum biocompatibility. Furthermore, it has already been used in the clinic and appears to be optimal for acting as an interface between the world of electronics and human physiology.
Heart door
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by Federico Mereta
How the pacemaker-tattoo works
Unlike detectors/stimulators that are applied to the epidermis, in this case it has become essential to ensure that the experimental device can come into direct contact with the heart.
To achieve this, graphene was inserted through a hole in a flexible and elastic silicone membrane. Then an almost invisible gold beam, 10 microns thick, was inserted to act as a connector between graphene and the outside, with the aim of recording the heartbeats, transmitting the signals to the outside and then transposing the stimuli capable of restore the heart rhythm. The whole, one tenth of a millimeter thick, was based on the animal heart model.
The tool was tested for two months on a beating heart at body temperature. Being transparent, the graphene tattoo has also been used for theoptocardiography, i.e. for the tracking and subsequent modulation of the rhythm, in a potentially more precise way for the control of any arrhythmias. According to Efimov, thanks to the fact that the device can combine electrical and optical functions, it will be possible to have more precise information.
Heart door
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in collaboration with the Cardiological Network
Meanwhile, the plasters try to study emotions
In recent weeks, other researchers from the Texan university together with scholars from various research centers have presented on Nature Communications an adhesive “detector” capable of recording information on emotional state simply by catching the moisture on the palm of the hand.
The graphene “patch” in this case has the task of detecting the situation, practically completely invisible to avoid the risk of stigma, connected to a smartwatch that can perceive the recorded variations.
The research was coordinated by Nanshu Lu who has developed a very thin relevant station, connecting what is reported to a detector smartwatch. How does it work? Graphene has been used as a component of a serpentine tape which, when flowing, allows you to withstand the effort of daily hand movements and prevent the very thin adhesive strip from coming off. And therefore also the control of anxiety and other stress reactions directly through the epidermis could become a reality.
Beware of smartwatches, they could interfere with pacemakers & Co.
by Federico Mereta
