Archive

This engineering paper describes a mm-scale implantable device that is wirelessly powered and remotely controlled to locomote in a fluid medium. The prototype is reported to receive 500 µW from a 2 W, 1.86 GHz RF power signal at 5 cm and to support 2.5–25 Mbps data rates using asynchronous PWM on the carrier. The…

This case report describes a 60-year-old man with a dual-chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator who underwent septal myectomy and a right atrial radiofrequency maze procedure. Following surgery, a persistent delay in atrial sensing was observed. The authors attribute this most likely to iatrogenic right…

This experimental and modeling study examined pulsed electric field (PEF) permeabilization in several fruit and vegetable tissues at 293 K using 1000 μs pulses and field strengths of 400 and 1000 V·cm(-1). While electroporation theory predicts greater damage in tissues with larger cells, the authors report this…

This engineering study describes modifying MRI RF transmit coil electric-field distributions to create electric field-free zones without substantially changing transmit sensitivity. Phantom experiments are reported to show reduced implant heating when a zero electric-field plane is aligned with the implant location.…

This small clinical case series evaluated TOPAZ radiofrequency coblation microtenotomy for recalcitrant plantar fasciitis in 14 patients. The abstract reports improved AOFAS hindfoot scores at 3 and 6 months and improvements in several SF-36 domains, with most patients reporting good-to-excellent satisfaction. The…

This in vitro study tested electromagnetic compatibility between passive RFID readers and 15 pacemakers plus 15 ICDs across 134 kHz, 13.56 MHz, and 915 MHz bands. EMI reactions were common with low-frequency RFID and rare with high-frequency RFID, while no reactions were observed with ultra-high-frequency or…

This engineering study addresses interference between induction-heating cookers and an externally coupled transcutaneous energy transmission system for a totally implantable artificial heart. The authors report that magnetic flux from an IH cooker can couple into the TET transformer and affect system performance. A…

This numerical FDTD study modeled RF exposure at 900 and 1800 MHz in tissue containing thin metallic straight wire implants. The model indicates that the wire can substantially increase local SAR, creating high SAR gradients. Despite this, the authors report that exposures below current safe levels resulted in…

This laboratory study examined whether a weak alternating magnetic field tuned to the cyclotron frequency of Ca2+ and K+ ions influences fusion of tobacco and soya protoplasts. The abstract reports a 2–3× increase in protoplast fusion frequency under exposure. It also reports involvement of calcium ions in induction…