Engineers have created a pacemaker that dissolves in the body

Researchers have created a pacemaker that interacts with four other wearable modules. The latter transmit real-time data about the heart's operation to a mobile device.

Earlier, scientists from Northwestern University presented a dissolvable pacemaker that disappears from the body itself when it is no longer needed. Now they have improved the device and added some wearable sensors to it.

The implant was designed for people recovering from injury or heart surgery. And also for patients who need to use a pacemaker permanently, but only for a short period of time. The pacemaker is made of biocompatible, biodegradable materials.

Once users get better - after five to seven weeks - the pacemaker is biodegraded in the body. This means that only one surgery is needed to implant the device in the heart. In addition, the gadget is powered by an external antenna wirelessly, so it does not need to be connected to a separate battery. The device is only 250 microns thick and weighs less than half a gram.

The cardiac module monitors the heart, interacts with other modules, and regulates pacemaker stimulation modes.