As the main component of the human circulatory system, the cardiovascular system plays an important role in maintaining the normal life activities of the human body. Limited by the battery life of the traditional implantable cardiac electronic medical devices, it is difficult to achieve the long-term, uninterrupted monitoring and treatment. The newly developed self-powered technology solves this problem. In this paper, we review the types and the principles of the self-powered technology, and the application of the self-powered technology in the implantable cardiac electronic medical devices from three aspects: the energy supply, the sensing and the electrical stimulation. The development of the self-powered implantable cardiac electronic medical devices is discussed from the perspectives of the energy collection and storage management, the long-term biocompatibility of the implants, and the biological effects of the electrical stimulation.

self-powered technology  /  implantable cardiac electronics  /  nanogenerators  /  sensing  /  electrical stimulation