Wireless for implanted medical devices

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Zarlink has produced a chip which allows wireless communication from implanted medical devices such as pacemakers, defibrillators, neurostimulators and blood glucose sensors. The ultra low-power RF technology operates at speeds of 500 kb/s over a two-meter range. The technology would allow a patient’s implanted device to send information to a bedside base station which could then forward the data through the Internet or over the phone to a physician.

Besides simply sending information, the wireless chip also allows for a high-speed two-way RF link which can be used to adjust a device’s performance. The device also has the ability to signal for help in case an implanted medical device detects a problem. For example, a wireless chip implanted into a pacemaker could wirelessly signal an emergency response in the event a patient has a heart attack.

http://news.zarlink.com/archive/2005/May/3...-English.htm.en