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Lower risk after heart surgery thanks to self-dissolving pacemaker wires
At the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Dresden, a team of researchers is developing self-dissolving pacemaker wires that can significantly reduce risks after heart surgery. Together with the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden, the institute's researchers are pursuing this novel approach in the "Resorbable Molybdenum Temporary Cardiac Electrodes" project, or "ReMoTe CarE" for short. The first demonstrators can be seen at this year's COMPAMED trade fair in Düsseldorf at the joint Fraunhofer stand (Hall 8a, Stand G10).
02/11/2022
Cardiac arrhythmias often occur after cardiac surgery. These are traditionally treated with external pacemakers and temporary (epicardial) pacemaker probes attached to the surface of the heart. This harbours several risks per se: The manual removal of modern stainless steel probes can lead to complications, as the leads sometimes grow together with the surrounding tissue. If the probes are cut and remain in the body, there is also a risk of infection, or the remnants migrate in the body, which may require further surgery.
In the »ReMoTe CarE« project, which is funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius Centre for Digital Health in Dresden, the researchers are therefore pursuing a completely new concept: Bioresorbable pacemaker probes that deliberately remain in the body and dissolve within a certain time are to replace conventional probes in the future. The metal molybdenum, which has several advantages, serves as the basis. Molybdenum degrades evenly in the body, it is biocompatible and has high mechanical strength and electrical conductivity," says Dr Georg Pöhle, scientist at the Fraunhofer IFAM in Dresden. In addition, it is coated with biopolymers that also decompose in order to electrically insulate the surrounding tissue.
At Fraunhofer IFAM, the materials used are investigated and optimised with regard to their mechanical, electrical and degradation properties. This is where the demonstrators – strands made of fine metal wires coated with the biopolymers are created. The plan is to test them this year in preclinical studies at the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden.
The aim is to avoid the complications that have been associated with epicardial cardiac drifts to date. This will not only make life easier for patients, but could also significantly reduce the burden on healthcare staff and the healthcare system. The researchers will be presenting the first demonstrators of the self-dissolving pacemaker wires at the joint Fraunhofer stand (Hall 8a, Stand G10) at the COMPAMED trade fair in Dusseldorf from 14 to 17 November 2022.
Developments in medical technology are a focus of the Fraunhofer IFAM in Dresden. The institute also concentrates on the business areas of mobility and energy technology.
Source: Press release Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft from 02 November 2022
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