Wireless Medical Telemetry

OUTLINE

Introduction
Wireless Medical Telemetry System (WMTS)
Benefits of WMTS
Frequency Allocation
Interference to WMTS
Biotelemetry
Discussion
Key market Participants
References
 INTRODUCTION

WMTS is reserved for transmission of life-critical data in

healthcare facilities.

In contrast to the Industrial, Scientific and Medical

(ISM) band (in which 802.11 systems operate) which is a
large, unlicensed spectrum space for a growing variety of
devices that can be used to transmit virtually any kind of
data.

It is also licensed spectrum, which gives hospitals that go

through the licensing process the advantage of primary
user status if an interfering system shows up.
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF WIRELESS MEDICAL
TELEMETRY SYSTEM
Telemetry antenna
Telemetry Server
Wireless Transceiver
Instrument Radio/Wireless Transceiver
Ambulatory Telepack
 BENEFITS
To provides best clinical outcomes –clinicians need
medical information from anywhere using a variety of
devices.

Enables Clinicians to do real time documentation and

more easily access information-freeing them up to do
what they do best and that is providing care.

Improve patient mobility

Improves efficiency of medical personnel

Is a step towards full electronic medical record

implementation
 FREQUENCY ALLOCATION
 In earlier days telemetry allocations allowed operation on unused
channels from 174MHZ to 668MHZ

 WMTS report and order sets aside 608 to 614MHZ, 1395 to 1400MHZ,
and 1429 to 1432 MHZ for primary and co-primary use by eligible
wireless medical telemetry users.

 Eligible telemetry users are limited to health care providers, licensed

physicians, health care facilities and certain trained and supervised
technicians. Ambulances and other monitoring services are not included
within this definition.

 The WMTS will significantly reduce the risk of EMI with vital medical
telemetry signals.

 The FDA is committed to working with device manufacturers and users

to facilitate migration to the WMTS frequencies in a least burdensome
manner
 INTEFERENCE TO WMTS
 Prior to year 2000 most wireless medical telemetry devices operate as secondary users in
commercial broadcast TV bands and in the private land mobile radio service (PLMRS)
band. As secondary users, medical telemetry must accept interference from, and not
interfere with, primary licensed users. Typically, if there is interference from a primary
user, the medical telemetry system will be unusable.

 On Feb 27 1998 Dallas TV station WFAA became the first to test new digital television
(DTV) transmitter on what was supposed to be a vacant TV channel.

 Coincidentally both Baylor University Medical center and Methodist Dallas Medical
center were using the channel for cardiac telemetry systems.

 The resulting interference became a national story and led to wireless telemetry service.

 1n 2000 the final rules establishing WMTS was made and since then medical telemetry
systems are protected from interference as long as they are registered according to FCC
rules.

 Emissions from electromagnetic security systems have been reported to disturb WMTS
 OTHER ISSUES

Concerns about patient medical information security

Security associated with wireless systems include
-authentication
-Encryption
-open architecture designed for medical applications
-rogue wireless users
-multiple technologies
 INTRODUCTION TO BIOTELEMETRY
 Provides wireless communication from outside of the body to inside of the
body and vice versa.

 Current systems are designed for communication with implantable system

like cardiac pacemaker and defibrillators, cochlear and retina implants.

 For cardiac telemetry a dipole or spiral micro strip has been designed for
implantation in the shoulder.

 Emerging medical telemetry has led to the design of small biocompatible

antennas that can be implanted in the body.

 The absorption fields by the body limits the distance an external transceiver
can be placed from the body.

 Maximum bandwidth that can be used by a single device is 300KHZ and the
range is typically 2 meters.
 INTRODUCTION TO BIOTELEMETRY

 The maximum power limit is 2 micro Watts equivalent radiated

power (ERP); if power is increased battery life suffers and may
exceed regulation for maximum power absorption in the body.

 Improvement in transceiver architecture and data mining and data

compression(reduce the actual bits that are transmitted) are used to
provide chip rates of 20KPB/s at distance of 2 meters using low
power telemetry.

 One method to achieve this efficiency is the design of an ultra

efficient sleep mode followed by short burst of data transmission
activity.

 Improved design of hardware

 FUTURE OF BIOTELEMETRY

One area of future development is retrieving

communication from implanted electrode for neural
recording and/or simulation-tiny electrodes may be
implanted in the brain or the nerves.

Previously experiments have been used to receive

brain signal or transmit small amount of data
through the skin.
ANTENNA FOR BIOTELEMETRY
 DISCUSSION

 The major constraint with WMTS is that 608-614MHz, you have 6MHz of
bandwidth. Since the modulation is GMSK (Gaussian Minimum Shift Keying),
the channel spacing is 25KHz. So doing the math, 25KHz into 6MHz, gives you
240 channel, that is without any guard bands.

 As a result, spread spectrum systems that use this band render useless nearby
second-generation systems that are transmitting in the 608-614MHz band.

 Large hospitals, especially those in dense metropolitan areas continue to struggle

with limitations of their WMTS systems due to restricted bandwidth (BW).

 This is further complicated by documented cases where WMTS bandwidth had to

be further restricted in some cases to only 2.5MHz, or where legal broadcast
stations have cause interference, there again, causing restrictions on the
bandwidth.
 KEY MARKET PARTICIPANTS
GE Medical systems

Mennen Medical corp.

Philips Medical systems

Siemens Medical systems

Welch-Allyn Protocol, Inc

 REFERENCES

 1.Steven D. Baker and David H. Hoglund: Medical Grade Mission Critical

Wireless Networks.

 2.Rick Harmton: Interference to wireless medical telemetry systems:

http://www.aami.org/tmcconnect/it/Lessons%20Learned.pdf.

 3.Kok -Swang tan, Irwin Hinberg and Jesuzette Washman : EMI RISK:
Electro magnetic Interference in Medical Devices page 76 of class notes
EE406/506 Biomedical Engineering by Dr Christopher Druzgalski

 4. About medical telemetry: http://www.fda.gov/Radiation

EmittingProducts/RadiationSafety/ElectromagneticCompatibilityEMC/uc
m116574.htm

 5. Donald Witters: Facing the Challenges of Electromagnetic Interference

With Medical Devices in the Wireless World:
www.ursi.org/Proceedings/ProcGA02/papers/p2233.pdf
END
 ABSTRACT

Wireless medical telemetry deals with the remote

monitoring-measurement and recording of
physiological parameters and other patient related
information via radiated bi-directional or
unidirectional electromagnetic signals.
 This presentation discusses frequency allocation for
wireless medical telemetry system, incidences of
interference with wireless medical systems, the
future spectrum needs for wireless medical telemetry
as well as the benefits and constraints of current
wireless medical telemetry.