Biocompatible Cardiac Sensor with Continuous Arrhythmia Monitoring for Human Wellness

Abstract

Prolonged monitoring is more likely to result in an accurate diagnosis of atrial fibrillation patients than intermittent or short-term monitoring. In this study, we present an implantable ECG sensor to monitor atrial fibrillation patients in real time. The developed implantable sensor is composed of a micro controller unit, analog to digital converter, signal transmitter, antenna, and two electrodes. The sensor detects ECG signals from the two electrodes and transmits these signals to the external receiver that is carried by the patient. The sensor continuously transmits signals, so its battery consumption rate is extremely high. To overcome this problem, we consider using a wireless power transmission module in the sensor module. This module helps the sensor charge power wirelessly without holding the battery in the body. The size of the integrated sensor is approximately 0.12 inch x 1.18 inch x 0.19 inch. This sensor size is appropriate enough for cardiologists to insert the sensor into patients without the need for a major surgery. The data sampling rate was 300 samples/sec, and the frequency was 430 Hz for signal and power transmission. To verify the validation of the developed sensor, the small animal experiments were conducted.