Methodology for Safe and Effective Subcutaneous Implantation of Wireless Biotelemetry Sensor Devices in Rodents

In this work, a methodology for assessing the impact of implantation surgery on laboratory mice on behavior was created. The study included the design of several implants fabricated on various printed circuit board (PCB) technologies with overall diameters between 26-28mm and weights between 4.5-6.5g. 11 adult CD1 mice were implanted with the devices and their behavior was analyzed using common behavioral benchmark tests. The results show that implants designed to be 10% of the animal's body weight showed no adverse effects on mobility or social behavior. These results illustrate a method to identify and reduce the adverse behavioral changes inherent to device implantation. Additional considerations for implant surgery are provided. These results are validated with the implantation of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless sensor tag. The implanted wireless tag showed an average Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of 62.96dBm with a standard deviation of 4.95dBm and a variance of 24.5 dBm². The high RSSI and variance values show that the implant was working well inside of the mouse's body and that the mouse was fully recovered and readily exploring its surroundings.Clinical Relevance-This work 1) studies the behavioral impact of implantable wireless biopotential devices. This will help clinical researchers conducting behavioral studies using sensor implants. 2) demonstrates a working implanted BLE wireless model inside of a mouse. Various wireless connectivity metrics are studied.