BODY IMPLANT COMMUNICATION – IS IT A REALITY ?

This paper shows how Radio Frequency (RF) communication is possible for implanted medical devices. RF links between implanted medical devices and external monitoring and programming equipment is becoming more common. However, as new RF applications are introduced the battery operating life of the implanted medical device is a concern. This paper describes a technique to prolong battery life. The testing and results of a demonstration implant within a simulated human body are also described.