Startup Cardiostim: Our Goal is to Create an Innovative, Wireless Pacemaker

"Our goal is to create an innovative, wireless pacemaker," Giorgi Karabak, the founder of the startup Cardiostim, told "Business Partner."

According to him, existing pacemakers can cause various complications in the human body and typically need to be replaced through surgical intervention every 8-10 years. The new pacemaker aims to eliminate these issues.

"In a standard case, the pacemaker consists of a generator and electrodes. The electrodes are placed in the heart, and the pacemaker is positioned under the skin. Based on our experience, we have seen that in many cases, the pacemaker generator is infected or incompatible with the body. Since the electrodes come out of this generator and are implanted in the heart, infections can occur in the heart cavity itself. Our pacemaker eliminates this problem because it is small and miniature, placed in the heart cavity. Additionally, there is a second generator on top that transmits the impulse using the wireless principle. We have completely removed the electrode, which was screwed into the ventricle or the front of the heart. Moreover, our pacemaker is rechargeable. If previously a patient had to replace the pacemaker every 8-10 years, involving a surgical procedure, this issue will also be resolved in our case. Our pacemaker can be recharged multiple times, with a special device placed on top of the skin to charge the implanted generator.

We have made a prototype and conducted a trial on a large test animal. We are currently working on making the prototype smaller and plan to conduct five more animal trials and document all findings. Before using the device on humans, it must undergo many research phases. First, animal testing must be completed, followed by safety confirmation, etc. Each phase can last up to two years, and we have about five phases to go through," says Giorgi Karabaki.

For reference, Cardiostim is a wireless, rechargeable implantable pacemaker that will control a patient's heart rhythm. The startup is the winner of the 150,000 GEL co-financing grants program of the Innovation and Technology Agency of Georgia.