We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Cardiac Cell Stimulation Could Provide Natural Pacemaker

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 26 Jan 2016
Print article
Image: Schematic representation of the experimental setup (Photo courtesy of Israel Institute of Technology).
Image: Schematic representation of the experimental setup (Photo courtesy of Israel Institute of Technology).
A new study reveals that mechanical communication between cells plays an important role in cardiac physiology, and is essential for converting electrical pacing into synchronized beating.

Researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion; Haifa, Israel) developed a mechanical “cardiac cell” that generates periodic mechanical deformations in an underlying substrate, with the amplitude and direction of the mechanical deformations mimicking those generated by a beating cardiac cell. After a brief 10-minute training period, a neighboring cardiac cell synchronized its beat rate with that of the mechanical cell. According to the researchers, the study demonstrates mechanical communication between cells directly for the first time.

Furthermore, the cardiac cell maintained the induced beating rate for more than one hour after mechanical stimulation was stopped, implying a long-range interaction of the stimulation that induces long-lasting alterations in interacting cells. Unlike electrical field stimulation, the long-term alterations provide a mechanism that has a more stable electromechanical delay. The mechanical coupling between cells could therefore ensure that the final outcome of action potential pacing is synchronized beating. The study was published on January 11, 2016, in Nature Physics.

“We have shown that cells are able to communicate with each other mechanically by responding to deformations created by their neighbors. Cell-cell communication is essential for growth, development and function,” said assistant professor Shelly Tzlil, PhD, of the faculty of mechanical engineering. “Impaired mechanical communication will lead to arrhythmias even when electrical conduction is working properly. The medical implication is that adding mechanical elements to electrical pacemakers will significantly improve their efficiency.”

Related Links:

Israel Institute of Technology 


Gold Member
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Sample-To-Answer Test
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Cartridge (CE-IVD)
Gold Member
Real-Time Diagnostics Onscreen Viewer
GEMweb Live
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
Vibrating Mesh Nebulizer
Aerogen Solo

Print article

Channels

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: NTT and Olympus have begun the world\'s first joint demonstration experiment of a cloud endoscopy system (Photo courtesy of Olympus)

Cloud Endoscopy System Enables Real-Time Image Processing on the Cloud

Endoscopes, which are flexible tubes inserted into the body's natural openings for internal examination and biopsy collection, are becoming increasingly vital in medical diagnostics. Their minimal invasiveness... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The PATHFAST hs-cTnI-II high-sensitivity troponin assay has been developed for the PATHFAST Biomarker Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Polymedco)

POC Myocardial Infarction Test Delivers Results in 17 Minutes

Chest pain is the second leading cause of emergency department (ED) visits by adults in the United States, generating over 7 million visits annually. In the event of a suspected heart attack, physicians... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.