Medtronic, the world's largest medical-device maker, is using microelectronics and chip manufacturing to shrink pacemakers—implanted devices that regulate the heart's rhythm. Whereas current pacemakers are about as big as a silver dollar, Medtronic's device would be smaller than a tic tac. At that size, the device would be small enough to be inserted via catheter, rather than invasive surgery.
The device is still a research instrument, says Stephen Oesterle, Medtronic's senior vice president for medicine and technology, but it could be on the market in five years.
To read the full, original article click on this link: A Pacemaker the Size of a Tic Tac - Technology Review
Author: Emily Singer
