Author: Sara Habibipour
It’s well known that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Monitoring and treatment are recommended to reduce the incidence of death, but more convenient technologies are required in order to make this a reality. This has led to the rise of nanomaterial-based devices.
Nanomaterials are conductive, biocompatible, soft, and stretchable, allowing for them to be easily worn or even implanted into human tissue to monitor heart health, offering an effective alternative to invasive procedures and surgeries. According to Haixia Alice Zhang at Peking University’s Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, some nanomaterials even have the ability to dissolve, allowing patients to avoid risks such as infection from device-removal surgeries.
Although nanomaterials seem to be safe in the short-term, research still needs to be done to determine whether or not there are long-term effects of their use. Nanomaterials are an excellent way to monitor and treat cardiovascular problems, but there is still a long way to go before they can be used for practical applications.
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