We all know that wireless is the wave of the electronic future. Wires are becoming things of the past in electronics and fewer people are tripping over them. New research is even finding ways to use wireless technology in the medicine of heart pacemakers.

A group of researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City have conducted a study of using wireless technology in left ventricular pacing systems. In the study, acoustic energy was transmitted from a pulse generator (implanted under the skin over the rib cage) to a left ventricular endocardial pacing electrode. The acoustic energy was transduced to electrical energy.

The experiment was used in patients who did not respond to conventional CRT (implanted cardiac resynchronization therapy), in which an implant resynchronizes the contractions of the heart’s ventricles by sending tiny electrical impulses to the heart muscle, which can help the heart pump blood throughout the body more efficiently. By placing the left ventricular pacing site away from scar tissue it can function more effectively.

This technique is still in the very early stages, and there were numerous technical glitches that need to be dealt with, including concerns about battery life because acoustic energy is being transduced to electrical energy. The study authors stated that “once technical issues have been solved with these systems, randomized clinical trials will be necessary to definitely determine whether leadless systems will be superior to conventional pacemakers.”

As the rapid pace of change in computers and electronics continues, there is no doubt that wireless electronics will receive more attention from physicians and scientists who are looking for new ways to treat common medical conditions.