Biotelemetry

Biotelemetry (or Medical Telemetry) involves the application of telemetry in the medical field to remotely monitor various vital signs of ambulatory patients.

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Application

The most common usage for biotelemetry is in dedicated cardiac care telemetry units or step-down units in hospitals. Although virtually any physiological signal could be transmitted, application is typically limited to EKG and SpO2.

Components of a Biotelemetry system

A typical biotelemetry system comprises:

• Sensors appropriate for the particular signals to be monitored
• Battery-powered, Patient worn transmitters
• A Radio Antenna and Receiver
• A display unit capable of concurrently presenting information from multiple patients
• Animal tracking

History of Biotelemetry

Some of the first uses of biotelemetry systems date to the early space race, where physiological signals obtained from animals or human passengers were transmitted back to Earth for analysis (the name of the medical device manufacturer Spacelabs Healthcare is a reflection of their start in 1958 developing biotelemetry systems for the early U.S. space program).

Current Trends

Because of crowding of the radio spectrum due to the recent introduction of HDTV in the United States and many other countries, the FCC as well as similar agencies elsewhere have recently begun to allocate dedicated frequency bands for exclusive biotelemetry usage.

The FCC has designated the American Society for Healthcare Engineering of the American Hospital Association (ASHE/AHA) as the frequency coordinator for the Wireless Medical Telemetry Spectrum (WMTS).

External links

• International Society on Biotelemetry
• FCC guidance on biotelemetry