Abstract
A variable-capacitance-type electrostatic (VCES) generator that harnesses ventricular motion was developed with the aim of driving a cardiac pacemaker permanently without a battery. The developed model of the VCES generator was handmade, but it was too large to implant into the thoracic cavity of a laboratory animal. For this reason, to demonstrate its feasibility, a somewhat complicated method that measured the left ventricular wall motion by means of the accelerometer module put on the free wall and reproduced the motion in real time with a vibration mode simulator was used. The VCES generator was vibrated on the simulator, and its generated power was supplied to the cardiac pacemaker, which then stimulated the heart. A mean power of approximately 36 μW was generated, which was enough to drive the cardiac pacemaker. Continuous electric generation and cardiac pacing were performed successfully for more than 2 h in the animal experiment.
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Received: May 17, 2002 / Accepted: September 10, 2002
Correspondence to:R. Tashiro
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Tashiro, R., Kabei, N., Katayama, K. et al. Development of an electrostatic generator for a cardiac pacemaker that harnesses the ventricular wall motion. J Artif Organs 5, 0239–0245 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100470200045
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100470200045