US scientists have developed a dissolvable pacemaker, that offers a short-term solution for patients recovering from heart surgery.
The results, in Nature Biotechnology, showed that the pacemakers were effective in mice, rats, rabbits and dogs, and it is now being tested in human trials.
The wireless device, produced by researchers from Northwestern, Illinois, and George Washington University, Washington DC, is made entirely of materials that will naturally dissolve in the body after 5-7 weeks and can be implanted into the body without the need for surgery.
Patients that need temporary heart pacing currently have to undergo another procedure to remove the device, increasing the risk of infections or other complications.