Telemedicine Using Active Implants

Abstract

Telemedicine is the area of telematics that allows transfer of information, i.e., diagnostic or therapeutic data, between two locations (spatial distance) or times (temporal distance). This includes the bidirectional transmission network between patient and doctor as well as the transmission network between two doctors. Moreover, information can be transferred without material transport. In technical realizations, wired as well as wireless communication channels are used. The possibility to transmit medically relevant data has opened additional fields of application. Examples include consulting external experts during surgical interventions, transmission of physiological data/signals obtained by the patient at home, as well as distribution of data within a hospital. In the opposite direction, data should also be able to be transmitted to therapeutic devices to adapt treatment or to monitor device function. The fields of application extend, in this regard, from transfer of x-rays to forwarding of temperature values. Modern active implants normally come with a wireless communication facility to the outside world. In particular, in the latter area, energy supply to each component also plays an important role and can be partially combined with the desired data transfer. In this chapter, the possibilities of telemedicine for the control of active implants are highlighted through a short overview of the application of telemedicine during operations and in domestic care.