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The Effects Of Lithium Batteries On Medical Devices

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Introduction
With the rise in the aging population, there has been an increase in demand for implanted medical devices, such as pacemakers. Approximately, 70% to 80% of all pacemakers are implanted in people 65 years old or over (Bradshaw, Stobie, knuiman, & Briffa, 2014). Lithium batteries have dominated as the main source of energy for implantable medical devices. The limitations of lithium batteries have become apparent. The batteries have a limited energy capacity; therefore, this limits its use in smaller devices, which in terms reduces its lifetime. Due to the short lifetime of these batteries, they must be replaced every-so-often (Rasouli & Phee, 2010). The need to replace and recharge batteries leads to surgeries and discomfort for …show more content…

In 1998, Paradiso implemented this into the creation of a prototype shoe. The heel of the shoe had a spring magnetic generator. Each time the person walked approximately 1 watt was produced. The disadvantages were that the person had to have the ability to walk and it caused discomfort. Additional adjustments were made to the idea as the years progressed. In 2001, Paradiso placed the piezoelectric elements on the heel and under the toes. Kornbluh placed them on the heel of both shoes (Hannan et al., 2014). But, each one faced the issue of the patient needing the ability to walk.

Electrostatic Energy
Electrostatic generators use electrostatic induction to produce electricity. It converts mechanical vibrations into electricity by moving the transducer in against the electrical field. The conversion occurs with either fixed charge or fixed voltage. This method is adequate for micro-implanted devices that use low power (Hannan et al., 2014).

Magnetic Induction Generator
There are two types of magnetic induction generators. One based on relative motion where the generator is fixed. Another, that uses body motion. In the second case, the generator is installed with the inertia force of the weight. Hoska conducted an investigation comparing the two types (Hnnan et al., 2014). He found that the second less vulnerable to constant movements and more vulnerable to vibratory movements, which can be explained due to the fact that the second type uses inertia.

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