And while you should experience a faster recovery time when replacing the battery, wouldn’t it be better if a pacemaker battery lasted your entire life? That was the idea behind nuclear-powered pacemakers when they first appeared on the medical scene in the 1970s, and the idea makes perfect sense.
When implanted in the 1970s, nuclear-powered pacemakers were expected to last several years, with at least one patient’s pacemaker continuing to function for 35 years after implantation. That’s more than double the battery life of a modern pacemaker, which would mean fewer interventions and fewer surgeries for patients with nuclear pacemakers. Not only would this help reduce the cost of maintaining pacemakers, but it would also reduce the risk of adverse effects associated with surgical procedures involving modern pacemakers.
Nuclear-powered pacemakers are perfectly safe.
Despite its loaded name, a nuclear-powered pacemaker is a far cry from the powerful reactors you might think of when you hear the word nuclear. In fact, the small plutonium-based batteries inside the pacemakers contained only about a tenth of a gram of plutonium-238 — the same material used to power NASA’s Voyager 2 probe, which has continued to explore space for nearly 50 years. It has a half-life of 87.7 years and generates energy using the heat created during its decay.
Not only does Pu-238’s half-life make it a useful option for powering pacemakers, but it also emits alpha particles, which are relatively easy to shield against. When the medical industry tested them in the 1970s, nuclear-powered pacemakers were housed in a titanium casing, which mitigated the potential threat of radiation to the body. On the surface, the dose received by the patient would be equal to that from a dental X-ray. Given the lack of risk and the inherent increase in battery life they would offer, nuclear-powered pacemakers would make a lot of sense, especially for patients who will need them for the next 30 to 40 years.
Regulations slow things down.
Currently, regulations are the biggest barrier to the potential of nuclear pacemakers. This is because Pu-238 is an artificial material. In addition, its production is extremely expensive. Add to that the nuclear radiation they give off, and while they can be blocked using the right type of enclosure, regulations regarding nuclear materials remain strict.
The experiment was halted in the 1980s due to difficulty tracking the material once pacemakers were implanted in patients. In many cases, pacemakers outlasted the patients, and even the hospitals that implanted them.
This has raised safety concerns about where plutonium used in the devices could end up and its effects on the environment. The lack of flexibility in regulating nuclear waste, even in small doses like those used for pacemakers, is what many attribute the decline of Pu-238 batteries to. However, with increased research into nuclear batteries and a better understanding of the lifespan of nuclear waste, the idea of ​​nuclear-powered pacemakers could perhaps find new life.
