Heart Transistor

Prior to ablating tissue to stop arterial fibrillation, a heart surgeon has to locate the area of the heart that is misfiring.  The conventional mapping method is a sensored probe that goes through a vein to the heart and moved from one location to the next.  Slowly, over hours, this builds up a picture of the fibrillation. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Illinois, however, are developing a device that can be attached to the heart’s exterior surface (minimally invasive) and gather data from 288 sensor electrodes and 2,000 transistors. The device is only 25 microns thick and 1.5 centimeters square.  While this has only been tested in animals, its makers imagine an implantable version for people with chronic heart disease.      MORE

Image Credit:   Science/AAAS and Technology Review