Motion Characterization of Pacemaker Lead Wire In Vivo for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Applications

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Devices
• Energy Harvesting

Background:

• Cardiac pacemakers rely on batteries that require replacement.
• Piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEH) offer a potential solution for self-powering pacemakers.
• Current PEH research often uses costly and time-consuming animal models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a non-animal model approach for evaluating PEH designs for pacemakers.
• To quantify pacemaker lead wire (PLW) motion in vivo using fluoroscopy imaging.
• To utilize PLW motion data for computer simulations of PEH performance.

Main Methods:

• Fluoroscopy imaging data from a patient's dual-chamber pacemaker was analyzed.
• Image processing techniques quantified PLW position and displacement over time.
• Finite element analysis (FEA) simulated a PEH integrated into the PLW.

Main Results:

• 2D analysis of PLW motion showed good agreement with existing literature.
• Simulations predicted a PEH integrated into the PLW could generate 1.12 V and 0.125 μW.
• This power output could potentially extend pacemaker battery life by 0.75-1 year.

Conclusions:

• Fluoroscopy imaging provides an effective, cost-efficient alternative to animal models for PEH design evaluation.
• This approach accelerates the development of self-powered pacemakers.
• The study demonstrates the feasibility of in vivo motion analysis for PEH simulations.