In a groundbreaking development, scientists at Northwestern University have developed the world's smallest pacemaker, a device so tiny it can be injected into the body through the tip of a syringe. Despite its minuscule size—just 1.8 millimetres wide, 3.5 millimetres long, and one millimetre thick—the new pacemaker delivers the same level of heart stimulation as traditional, full-sized models. Can Work With Hearts Of All SizesSmaller than a grain of rice, the device is designed to work with hearts of all sizes, but its creators say it is especially suited for newborns with congenital heart defects. These fragile patients often require temporary pacing after surgery, a challenge that current bulky devices cannot address without invasive procedures."We have developed what is, to our knowledge, the world’s smallest pacemaker," said John A. Rogers, a bioelectronics expert at Northwestern University who led the development. “There's a crucial need for temporary pacemakers in pediatric heart surgeries. That’s a use case where size miniaturisation is incredibly important. In terms of device load on the body—the smaller, the better."Bioresorbable And Non-InvasiveCurrently, temporary pacemakers are implanted through surgery, where electrodes are sewn onto the heart muscle and connected to an external device via wires. These wires are later pulled out, which can sometimes damage the tissue. In contrast, this new wireless pacemaker is not only non-invasive but also bioresorbable—it dissolves safely into the body once its job is done.The device does not rely on near-field communication or external wires. Instead, it is powered by a galvanic cell—a basic battery that uses chemical reactions to create an electrical current. Once the pacemaker comes into contact with the body's biofluids, it activates a chemical process that generates a current to stimulate the heart.For monitoring and control, the pacemaker pairs with a soft, wearable patch placed on the patient's chest. This wearable system uses infrared light, which safely penetrates the body. “If the patient’s heart rate drops below a certain threshold, the wearable device detects the event and automatically activates a light-emitting diode (LED). The light then flashes on and off at a pace that mimics a normal heart rate,” the team explained.The project was driven by the aim to support infants born with congenital heart defects, a condition affecting roughly one per cent of all newborns. “Our main focus was children,” said Northwestern cardiologist Igor Efimov. “Most of them only need temporary pacing after surgery. In about seven days, their hearts self-repair. This tiny pacemaker can support them during that critical period, without requiring another surgery for removal.”The device and its innovative wireless technology were featured in a recent paper, "Millimetre-scale, bioresorbable optoelectronic systems for electrotherapy" in journal Nature. With this innovation, the future of cardiac care—especially for the most vulnerable patients—looks promisingly less invasive and far more gentle.