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Abstract

Medical examinations often extract localized symptoms rather than systemic observations and snap shots rather than continuous monitoring. Using these methodologies, one cannot discretely analyze how a patient’s lifestyle affects his/her physiological conditions and if additional symptoms occur under various stimuli. We present a minimally invasive implantable pressure sensing system that actively monitors long-term physiological changes in real-time. Specifically, we investigate pressure changes in the upper urinary tract per degree of obstruction. Our system integrates three components: a miniaturized sensor module, a lightweight embedded central processing unit with battery, and a PDA. Our tether-free system measures pressure continuously for forty-eight hours and actively transmits an outgoing signal from an implanted sensor node to a remote PDA twenty feet away. The software in this in-vivo system is remotely reconfigurable and can be updated when needed. Preliminary experimental results of the in-vivo pressure system demonstrate how it can wirelessly transmit pressure readings measuring 0 to 1 PSI with an accuracy of 0.02 PSI. The challenges in biocompatible packaging, transducer drift, power management, and in-vivo signal transmission are discussed. This research brings researchers a step closer to continuous, real-time systemic monitoring that will allow one to analyze the dynamic human physiology.

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Correspondence to Chihkang C. K. Lin , David Jea , Foad Dabiri , Tammara Massey or Jacob Schmidt .

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© 2007 International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering

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Lin, C.C.K. et al. (2007). The Development of an In-Vivo Active Pressure Monitoring System. In: Leonhardt, S., Falck, T., Mähönen, P. (eds) 4th International Workshop on Wearable and Implantable Body Sensor Networks (BSN 2007). IFMBE Proceedings, vol 13. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70994-7_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-70994-7_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-70993-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-70994-7

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