An implantable bioimpedance monitor using 2.45 GHz band for telemetry

This paper describes a multi-frequency single-channel electrical implantable bioimpedance monitor (35 mm × 35 mm × 10 mm, weight 52 g) powered by a NiMH battery. By using the tetrapolar method and injecting 10 µA(peak), the monitor is capable of measuring at 14 different frequencies, from 100 Hz to 200 kHz. It contains a ZigBee transceiver to monitor the measurements performed, and has an embedded memory for backing up the data. RC networks and in-situ heart excised tissues were used to test the system. When measuring a full spectrum every 5 min, 35 days of autonomy are possible due to the low power consumption of the monitor. Temperature drift was estimated by short-term and long-term measurements. Temperature cycling was used to measure modulus and phase angle stability. The result was a very low effect on a modulus decrease of 2.34 Ω, with respect to an impedance of 322 Ω, at 100 Hz and a phase angle increase of 1.1°, at 200 kHz. In addition, measurement errors were bigger at low frequencies because of the high impedance of the electrodes used, which was higher than 10 kΩ at frequencies below 1 kHz.