Implantable RF Sensor for Continuous Fluid Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring fluid accumulation in and around body organs over extended periods are limited in accuracy and convenience, particularly for chronic medical conditions like pulmonary edema and pericardial effusion, as they often require invasive procedures and lack continuous, reliable tracking.
Innovation Solution
Implantable devices with biocompatible antennas and processing circuitry that use RF electromagnetic waves to measure tissue characteristics, such as fluid content, by transmitting and receiving waves through or reflected from target tissues, and reporting data wirelessly for continuous monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external RF monitoring apparatus is used, then measurement capability is provided, but patient mobility is restricted and long-term monitoring accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The RF transmitter and antenna are integrated within an implantable medical device (such as a pacemaker or defibrillator), nesting the monitoring function inside an existing implanted device. This eliminates the need for external monitoring apparatus while maintaining measurement capability and improving patient mobility.
2Measurement precision
If invasive procedures are used for fluid monitoring, then measurement precision is improved, but patient discomfort and procedural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The RF transmitter serves multiple functions: it transmits RF waves for fluid content measurement, provides cardiac stimulation therapy, and enables communication. By making the implanted device multi-functional, the system achieves precise fluid monitoring without requiring separate invasive procedures or additional complex equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables long-term, accurate monitoring of fluid levels in organs like the lungs, allowing for timely adjustments in treatment and improved patient management, with the potential for application in other tissue monitoring and imaging applications.
Implementation Method 1
receive radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves propagated through the target tissue
Implementation Method 2
A change of a dielectric coefficient of the thoracic tissue is detected by analyzing the reflections
Implementation Method 3
receive the waves after reflection of the waves from a tissue in the body
Implementation Method 4
detect a modulation of the reflection due to at least one of a heartbeat and a respiratory motion of the subject
Data Source
AI summary
A diagnostic apparatus comprising a sealed case, a first antenna and a second antenna and processing circuitry are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the sealed case includes a biocompatible material and is configured for implantation within a body of a patient. Further, each one of the first antenna and the second antenna are configured to be implanted in the body in proximity to a target tissue, generate and transmit radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves through the target tissue to the other antenna, and output a signal in response to RF waves received from the other antenna. In addition, the processing circuitry can be contained within the case and is configured to receive and process the signal from each antenna so as to derive and output an indication of a characteristic of the target tissue.