Micro‐Sized Implantable Electrocardiogram (ECG) Sensor for Real‐Time Monitoring of A trial Fibrillation

Abstract

Purpose: In this study, we present an implantable ECG sensor to monitor atrial fibrillation patients in real time. Methods: The developed implantable sensor is composed of a micro controller unit, analog to digital converter, signal transmitter, antenna, and two electrodes. The sensor detects ECG signals from the two electrodes and transmits these signals to the external receiver that is carried by the patient. The sensor continuously transmits signals, so its battery consumption rate is extremely high. To overcome this problem, we consider using a wireless power transmission module in the sensor module. This module helps the sensor charge power wirelessly without holding the battery in the body. The size of the integrated sensor is approximately 0.12 inch x 1.18 inch x 0.19 inch. This sensor size is appropriate enough for cardiologists to insert the sensor into patients without the need for a major surgery. The data sampling rate was 300 samples/sec, and the frequency was 430 Hz for signal and power transmission. Results: The proposed sensor was validated with shielding experiments to mimic the action of the implant and the shielding of sensor effects. The cylindrical case for the experiment was made of three different materials: quartz, titanium, and acryl. The sensor, which transmits signals to the external receiver, was placed into the cylindrical case. The experiments showed that the sensor transmits ECG signals correctly with the three different types of case materials. The quartz material shows the best results among the three materials because it sends data without any distortion. Conclusion: An implantable ECG sensor that is composed of a wireless signal transmitter, wireless power receiver, and two electrodes was designed and experimentally evaluated. The work presented in this study is an initial step toward the real‐time monitoring of atrial fibrillation patients. This work was supported by a Grant (No. 10041876) from the Technology Innovation Program funded by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy(MKE, Korea).

SU-E-T-252: Micro-Sized Implantable Electrocardiogram (ECG) Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring of A trial Fibrillation. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272316596_SU-E-T-252_Micro-Sized_Implantable_Electrocardiogram_ECG_Sensor_for_Real-Time_Monitoring_of_A_trial_Fibrillation [accessed Jan 19, 2016].