Design of a wireless bio-telemetric device for measurement of left ventricular pressure-volume loops using the admittance technique in conscious, ambulatory rats

Left ventricular (LV) volume analysis in small animals has proven difficult because of the small size of the hearts and the rapid heart rate. Furthermore, there is a substantial contribution to the signal from both the blood as well as the muscle. Admittance - based measurement techniques has been proven effective in eliminating the muscular component and estimating the blood component accurately. The key factor that makes this measurement effective is the fact that the measurement is made in the complex plane, which measures both the magnitude as well as the phase of the complex phasor. This dissertation presents the design of a wireless telemetric device that measures impedance magnitude and phase measurements along with pressure from conscious, ambulatory rats. Using this impedance data along with other calibration data such as blood resistivity, stroke volume etc., volume is determined.