In the paper the researchers point out that the method could be especially beneficial if the implants were inserted during a surgical procedure. There is a risk of infection during surgery or hospital stays and having implants already in a patient could allow doctors to treat infections as soon as they develop, without having to go in and perform another surgery.
"This is an important demonstration step forward for the development of on-demand medical devices that can be turned on remotely to perform a therapeutic function in a patient and then safely disappear after their use, requiring no retrieval," author Fiorenzo Omenetto, professor of biomedical engineering Tufts University said in a statement.
source: popsci.com By Mary Beth Griggs