Covered with stretchable sensors, an innovative surgical tool has been devised to map electrical inconsistencies in the heart within minutes. Made with dense arrays of biocompatible, stretchable electronics, the tool senses electrical activity and temperature, thus helping reduce complications through better monitoring.
The stretchable silicon electronics were developed by Professor John Rogers from the University of Illinois. The professor is also the cofounder of MC10, a company that is marketing the technology. The scientists at MC10 are developing the stretchable silicon electronics for other applications and also designing an inflatable catheter.
For example, atrial fibrillation is a heart disorder caused due to an electrical problem. The heart’s upper chamber begins quivering as opposed to beating and is difficult to manage with drugs without the risk of serious side effects. Using a probe, the scientists can map the origin of the electrical problem and fix the troubled spots through surgery. The surgical catheter was successfully carried out in animal tests, which mimicked the disorder. The tool can lower the risk of complications and at the same time hasten the surgical process.
When the mapping is done with a conventional tool called the balloon catheter, it results in a time consuming process that involves moving the catheter over the damaged tissue and recording several thousand readings at a time.
The encased, inflatable catheter can be placed in the area of concern and sensors establish contact while staying fixed at one position. It can also be used to destroy a malfunctioning tissue by heating and destroying the tissue.
To ensure safety, the temperature sensors constantly keep track of the temperature. For instance, during a heart surgery, if the heart tissue heats up too much, it fuses with the esophageal tissue leading to a fatal complication. In such cases, the temperature can be monitored by the sensor to avoid fatal consequences.
The catheter’s initial test results have been published in the journal Nature Materials.