Using carbon nanofibers for heart elecrtical circuits

In researching possible treatments for ventricular arrhythmias, engineers at the Texas Heart Institute (Houston, TX) “developed very fine carbon fibers with electrical conductivity, each measuring a quarter of the width of a human hair. These non-toxic, polymer-coated threads have tens of millions of microscopic nanotubes embedded inside, while their tips are striped back to serve as electrodes. . . . . The reestablishment of cardiac conduction with carbon nanotube fibers has the potential to revolutionize therapy for cardiac electrical disturbances, one of the most common causes of death in the United States,” according to this piece which has only been shown in animals.    MORE

Image Credit:  Rice University and Texas Heart Institute