Some Recent Progress in Bioelectronics

The human body relies on sensing and actuating systems that operate in feedback loops, with features that adapt, resorb and reconstruct in a time-dynamic manner to sustain life processes. Bio-integrated electronic systems that capture certain of these essential attributes, in the form of closed-feedback networks of wireless, body-integrated devices, could be useful in treatment of various patient conditions. Research over the last decade in this field of bioelectronics establishes the foundations for soft, skin-conformal electronics and for bioresorbable devices. A specific clinical need that can be uniquely addressed with these emerging technologies, and that serves as a demonstration for their latest capabilities, is in continuous monitoring of cardiac function and autonomous treatment of abnormal heart rhythms that present as temporary conditions in many patients following a cardiac surgery. Traditional cardiac pacemakers have revolutionized care worldwide and saved millions of lives, but devices for temporary purposes involve percutaneous wires for connections to pacing leads, external hardware for power/sensing/control and surgical procedures for extraction. These features expose patients to unnecessary risks and impose burdens on the health system through additional costs and requirements for extended hospital stays. The systems summarized here, as described in detail in two recent papers [1], [2], avoid these disadvantages through a wirelessly networked collection of temporary devices that distribute on and in the body to ensure normal cardiac activity. In particular, these devices (1) modulate cardiac rhythms, (2) track cardiopulmonary status, (3) provide multi-haptic feedback to the patient, and (4) support transient operation through natural resorption into the body and gentle removal from the skin.