A small capsule that can sense your heartbeat at all times!

Author: Shi Xiangqi and Li Chuanfu

With the rapid development of science and technology, the medical field has also ushered in revolutionary progress. Researcher Li Zhou from the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor Liu Zhuo from the School of Medical Science and Engineering of Beihang University, and Director Hua Wei's team from the Arrhythmia Center of Fuwai Hospital published a breakthrough research result in the journal Advanced Materials - zero-bias capsule sensor, which brings new hope for the monitoring and management of chronic heart failure.

Overview of zero-bias cardiac monitoring capsule sensor Source: Advanced Materials

Heart failure is a global challenge, affecting approximately 45 million people worldwide. It not only brings tremendous physical and psychological pressure to patients, but also imposes a heavy burden on the medical system and the economy. At present, although ultrasound and multi-lead ECG monitoring devices can provide important heart function parameters, they cannot achieve continuous monitoring, and patients need to go to the hospital for regular check-ups, which undoubtedly increases the consumption of medical resources and the inconvenience of patients.

To solve this problem, Chinese scientists have developed a zero-bias cardiac monitoring capsule sensor based on the triboelectric effect. This capsule sensor can sense the diastole and contraction of the ventricle, and generate electrical signals through relative friction of the internal structure of the device caused by cardiac activity, directly and in situ reflecting the changes in cardiac mechanical activity, and realizing continuous monitoring and evaluation of cardiac contractility.

The core material of the zero-bias capsule sensor uses a nano self-adsorption method to enhance the charge density, significantly improving the mechanical-electrical conversion performance of the triboelectric effect device. The application of this material provides a guarantee for the miniaturization of the device and the coordinated high-performance electrical output.

The researchers verified that the sensor met the requirements for in vivo implantation through in vitro biocompatibility experiments and successfully implanted the zero-bias capsule sensor in the right ventricle of a pig model. The experimental results showed that the zero-bias capsule sensor can successfully capture the increase and decrease of cardiac contractility, and even a small displacement can generate sufficient electrical signals to meet the actual needs of in vivo monitoring.

The advent of zero-bias capsule sensors can not only monitor changes in cardiac contractility, but also detect abnormal changes in local cardiac contractility caused by arrhythmias, such as ventricular premature beats and ventricular tachycardia. These signals can be wirelessly transmitted to mobile terminals to achieve real-time monitoring and analysis of cardiac status, providing clinicians with a powerful tool to diagnose and intervene in the condition of heart failure patients earlier.

As science and technology continue to advance, we can expect that innovative technologies such as zero-bias capsule sensors will bring more hope and a higher quality of life to heart patients. Let us look forward to more breakthroughs in the medical field in the future to protect human health.