As wondrous as this new medical reality is, it comes with its own set of complications: maintaining battery life, and when the battery no longer functions, replacing these essential machines can be a precarious and even deadly matter.
It is no longer a rarity to be fitted with an internal medical device, also known as active implantable medical devices (AIMDs), which encompass everything from cardiac pacemakers to drug delivery pumps to cochlear impacts and implantable infusion pumps. Each of these runs on battery power, and each comes with its own sets of hazards.
In a recent report from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), doctors reported the following issues with batteries in medical devices: disastrous failures, including the reheating and leaking of the battery; inadequate battery and charger maintenance; use of incompatible battery charges with the battery; and unexpected battery exhaustion during use.
Replacing these batteries, when necessary, also carries a much more substantial risk in patients who have significantly aged since the AIMD was implanted, or have become increasingly frail since the procedure. The risk of complications and further problems of battery replacement surgery presents a much larger problem in many more patients than does the possibility of battery failure itself, and can lead to infections and other destabilising medical conditions for weakened and elderly individuals.
As technology moves forward and we expect every convenience in our everyday lives, it is only natural that we should expect similar advances in the field of medicine. When we can call anyone from any location and send them electronic messages from nearly every surface, it remains unthinkable that an aged or infirm person would need to undergo a perilous surgery to ensure vital medical devices continue to work.
Fortunately, there is now a technology which can ensure that these medical apparatuses will never need to have their batteries replaced, in a fraught and risky procedure which could endanger the health of your loved one. Mithras Technology has developed a technology which channels thermoelectric energy – developed from your own body – into energy, which can then power these necessary tools and ensure that those who need them will never have to worry about power levels in their devices.
By harvesting the energy created from the temperature differential between the outside environment and your internal body heat, Mithras has created the safeguard which will ensure that no medical device will ever cease working due to a faulty battery. This means that the pacemakers, insulin providers, and infusion pumps will never cease to function, providing for a much greater peace of mind for those who rely on them.