Tech & Innovation in Healthcare

Question: I read that leadless pacemakers have a built-in battery that only last up to 12 years. I know that older patients are typically the recipients of pacemakers, but what about younger patients who need them earlier in life?

Have advancements been made in the battery life of leadless pacemakers?

Arizona Subscriber

Answer: That’s very true. The battery in leadless, or wireless, pacemakers usually lasts from five to 12 years, which can be a problem for patients who receive a leadless pacemaker at a young age. Leadless pacemakers are very small in size, which allows them to be implanted right in the patient’s heart.

Babak Nazer, MD, of University of Washington Medicine in Seattle, Washington, with biomedical and mechanical engineers have developed a pacemaker prototype that could convert the energy produced by the heartbeat into electrical energy to recharge the pacemaker.

The prototype is in the very early stages of development but shows promise. If the pacemaker can generate a healthy heartbeat, it could slowly recharge itself and help extend the battery life. Dr. Nazer’s long-term goal would be for the pacemaker to collect 20 percent of the energy needed for the next heartbeat, and his prototype achieved approximately 10 percent energy recapture.