Today's Article

CNN Narrator: They're calling this the world's smallest 2pacemaker. Engineers at Northwestern University developed the device to be so 3minuscule that it fits inside the tip of a 4syringe, and it can be injected right into a patient's chest, so no 5invasive surgery is needed. 

The pacemaker itself is 6light sensitive. It works alongside this small patch stuck to the skin. When an irregular heartbeat is 7detected, it flashes. That light activates 8electrodes on the pacemaker and then sends 9electrical impulses to the heart, helping to control and correct the pace of the heartbeats. While this tiny pacemaker can work with a heart of any size, it might especially benefit newborn babies with 10congenital heart 11defects as they recover from serious heart surgery. 

John Rogers: 12Post-op recovery can be 13daunting, especially for infants who undergo that kind of surgery. 

CNN Narrator: The pacemaker isn't meant to be worn for life. 

John Rogers: It will 14dissolve away over a period six to nine months completely. 

CNN Narrator: For now, this tiny piece of technology is still an 15experiment, but one day it could make a big difference for our youngest, 16tiniest heart patients.