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Design and Testing of a Percutaneously Implantable Fetal Pacemaker

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Abstract

We are developing a cardiac pacemaker with a small, cylindrical shape that permits percutaneous implantation into a fetus to treat complete heart block and consequent hydrops fetalis, which can otherwise be fatal. The device uses off-the-shelf components including a rechargeable lithium cell and a highly efficient relaxation oscillator encapsulated in epoxy and glass. A corkscrew electrode made from activated iridium can be screwed into the myocardium, followed by release of the pacemaker and a short, flexible lead entirely within the chest of the fetus to avoid dislodgement from fetal movement. Acute tests in adult rabbits demonstrated the range of electrical parameters required for successful pacing and the feasibility of successfully implanting the device percutaneously under ultrasonic imaging guidance. The lithium cell can be recharged inductively as needed, as indicated by a small decline in the pulsing rate.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute and by the Robert E. and May R. Wright Foundation. The authors thank consultant Glen Griffith for feasibility analysis of the inductive recharging scheme, and thank Dr. Erlinda Kirkman for providing veterinarian assistance for the animal models used in this report.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Device Development Facility, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Denney Research Building, Rm. B11, 1042 Downey Way, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-1112, USA

    Gerald E. Loeb, Li Zhou, Kaihui Zheng, Adriana Nicholson, Raymond A. Peck & Anjana Krishnan

  2. Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA

    Michael Silka, Jay Pruetz & Yaniv Bar-Cohen

  3. Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1300 North Vermont Avenue, Suite 710, Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA

    Ramen Chmait

Authors
  1. Gerald E. Loeb
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  2. Li Zhou
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  3. Kaihui Zheng
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  4. Adriana Nicholson
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  5. Raymond A. Peck
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  6. Anjana Krishnan
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  7. Michael Silka
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  8. Jay Pruetz
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  9. Ramen Chmait
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  10. Yaniv Bar-Cohen
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Correspondence to Gerald E. Loeb.

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Associate Editor Tingrui Pan oversaw the review of this article.

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Loeb, G.E., Zhou, L., Zheng, K. et al. Design and Testing of a Percutaneously Implantable Fetal Pacemaker. Ann Biomed Eng 41, 17–27 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-012-0631-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-012-0631-3

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