PhysioTelemeter for Autonomic Monitoring

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A "PhysioTelemeter(tm)" system for physiological research and clinical monitoring of autonomic nervous system function in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and Diabetes is proposed. The system will allow non-invasive, unobtrusive, wireless monitoring of multiple physiological variables at multiple locations where long term use or freedom of movement is desirable. The Phase-1 system will consist of 3 battery powered PhysioTelemeters(tm), each transmitting on a unique radio frequency to a remote receiver and a computer for display and archive. Each telemeter will transmit data from 4 exemplary sensors (bioelectric, temperature, vibration and battery voltage) up to 10M in distance. The Phase-1 telemeters will be approximately the diameter and weight of a US quarter, but twice as thick, and will operate for over 8 hours from a lithium coin cell battery. This small size and light weight will allow measurements in active subjects with the PhysioTelemeters(tm) temporarily adhered to the skin over the regions of interest. Clinical collaborators for Phase-1 include a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation clinician with expertise in SCI pathophysiology, and a physiologist with clinical expertise in dysautonomia in patients with diabetes. These collaborators will review and critique the technology at various stages to guide the technology, and will evaluate the system with limited human testing on healthy subjects in preparation for Phase-2, During Phase-2, clinical collaborators will utilize the Phase-1 prototype system extensively to determine the practical utility of the approach in their clinical practice and research. Two active measurements (skin perfusion and impedance) will be added. The system will be further optimized including use of custom integrated circuits to decrease size and power, increasing the range to 30M, adding 5 more frequency channels for a total of 8, developing an environmentally resistant package, and providing a rechargeable battery system.