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Sixth Meeting of the International Society on Biotelemetry
SIXTH MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY ON BIOTELEMETRY Leuven, Belgium, 15-19
June 1981
These Symposia are the principal means whereby the Society seeks to promote the application of telemetric methods in biology and medicine and to encourage advance in the relevant technology. The meeting followed the successful format established in previous conferences: a series of plenary sessions interspersed with prolonged periods for informal discussion*. Designers of biotelemetry systems have not been slow to adopt into the field the latest advances in solid-state electronics. With the advent of micropower CMOS logic circuitry, pulse modulation has become a more viable approach. Two such systems represented at the Conference were a 7-channel EMG telemetry system for use with athletes (Wouters et al, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium) and a mask for measuring respiratory parameters and heart rate in exercising horses (Hornicke et al, Institute for Zoophysiology, Stuttgart, Germany). The latter revealed relationships between these parameters and running speed which could provide an objective assessment of the degree of training. Professor K. Bachmann (University of Erlangen, Germany) reviewed the use of telemetry for ambulatory monitoring of cardiovascular performance. Radiotelemetry of multiple parameters, including ECG, heart rate, systemic blood pressure and pulmonary artery pressure, provided the most comprehensive picture of the cardiovascular response to haemodynamic stress during everyday situations. Such information could be used to monitor the effects of drug therapy and as the basis for advice given to patients about the consequences of their life styles. It was interesting that medical students and qualified physicians who did not have access to telemetered data, consistently underestimated the maximum arterial pressure for various daily activities. At present this approach is invasive, involving as it does the use of microcatheters; its application is therefore limited to short periods. Portable taperecorders could provide information over longer periods, but this was usually limited to ECG and heart rate. Telephone systems could extend monitoring to periods of months, but had few other advantages. Measurement of local blood flow in tissues under exercise as well as resting conditions would be greatly facilitated by the technique introduced by J. Bojsen and his co-workers (Finsen Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark). It was based on measurements of the rate of disappearance of an injected *The following is a selection of some of the interesting new develop. ments which were presented
‘33Xe micro-depot, using a small y-ray detector mounted on the overlying skin. A careful analysis showed how the influence of geometrical artefacts, arising from relative movements of skin and subcutaneous tissues, could be eliminated. Among new trends noticed at the meeting was the increasing interest in transmission at infrared and optical wavelengths. S. Salmons and J.M.C. Brown (University of Birmingham, UK) presented an implantable stimulator which could be switched on and off by a pulse of light transmitted through fur, skin and muscle tissues. The system was sensitive, showed a high immunity to interference and did not require accurate alignment of the transmitting and receiving devices. C. Weller and M.J. Burton (Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, UK) had ingeniously utilised infra-red energy for both power and signal transmission. Designed to monitor feeding behaviour in rats, the system consisted of a small transponder unit mounted on the head of each animal and activated by a sending device located inside the feeding stations. On an altogether larger scale, K. Bretz (Research Institute of Physical Education, Budapest, Hungary) described a system for monitoring parameters of physiological and psychological significance in children during normal classroom activities. Respiration rate, ECG, and either occipital EEG or EMG of muscles on the neck or forearm could be transmitted simultaneously from 10 pupils using pulse modulation on spaced carrier frequencies. The system was reliable and appeared to impose fewer constraints on the pupils’ freedom than the more usual VHF room telemetry systems. With the greater component packing densities made possible by developments in solid-state technology, biotelemetry devices are shrinking in size and increasing in circuit complexity. The physical implementation of these devices now falls into three broad categories, all of which were represented at the Conference. Firstly, circuitry can be constructed in a conventional way using discrete, microminiature components; examples were a tooth-contact detector (Matsumoto et al,, University of Hokkaido, Japan) and van Nuland’s transmitter for small amphibians mentioned earlier. Secondly, hybrid thick film techniques can be used to reduce the size of more complex circuits, such as the 3-channel implantable muscle stimulator presented by P. Strojnik et al. l’J. Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia). Thirdly, there exist, in just a few laboratories, the facilities for making custom monolothic integrated circuits. Happily the venue of the Belgium Conference provided the opportunity of touring the major European centre for work of this type: the ESAT Laboratory of the
J. Biomed.
Engng.
1982,
Vol.
4, January
75
Catholic University of Leuven. This is one of the best-equipped facilities to be found outside the semiconductor industry itself, and the range and quality of the research in progress was truly impressive. In view of the growing complexity of implantable electronic circuits and an increasing demand for storage telemetry based on solid-state memories, such facilities will have an important role to play in the future development of the biotelemetry field. Progress in this area was reviewed by J. Knutti, from Stanford University, California, USA, which will be the host institution for the Seventh Symposium in August 1982.
Congratulations are certainly due to the Organizing Committee, Professor W. Sansen, Dr H.P. Kimmich, Dr R. Govaerts, and Miss C. Hubloue-Moerenhout, and many others who helped to make this an enjoyable and stimulating meeting. Further information abdut the Society and the Symposia may be obtained from the Secretary, Dr J.A.J. Klijn, Department of Neurophysiology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Stanley Salmons
THE FOURTH STRATHCLYDE BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR Glasgow,
25 -28 August 1981 The workmg sessions covered a wide range of computer usage in medical science, the overall headings were: applications, the future of computer technology, signal and image analysis, information processing, and modelling. Papers were presented by delegates from the United Kingdom, Holland, Denmark, the United States, France, Bulgaria, Israel, Australia, Norway, Canada and India, making the meeting a truly international forum. The overall quality of the papers was excellent; inevitably a few authors proceeded to reinvent the wheel, and not all of them succeeded in arriving at a round one. This question was discussed, and the necessity of establishing a data base was emphasized.
The Strathclyde Bioengineering Seminars have achieved a very considerable reputation for professionalism, and the latest one, on Computing in Medicine, was a worthy member of the series. Organized in conjunction with the Biological Engineering Society, it attracted some two hundred registrants. The seven working sessions were supported by the 1981 Adam Thomson Lecture and an industrial exhibition. Particular credit should be given to Professor J.P. Paul and Drs Monica Jordan and Ferguson-Pell for the arrangements. The Adam Thomson Lecture was given by Mr W.J. Perkins, of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, on the topic ‘Transforming Data and Ideas into Information’. Readers of this journal will be very well aware of Jack Perkins’ stature in biomedical engineering, and the topic is particularly appropriate at this time, when computers used for data acquisition are producing a torrent of indigestible data. He developed a concept which is very close to his heart, the further application of computers is reducing a mass of raw data to a visual form capable of being assimilated by a human scientist. The scientist at the console can then apply ideas and insights to elucidate the underlying patterns. Mr. Perkins discussed modem views on the nature of scientific discovery, and providing some very persuasive examples from his own work on the modelling of viral structures.
The two keynote presentations were given by Professor J.H. Van Bemmel, of the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, and Professor R.S. Ledley, of Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Both speakers are eminent in the field of signal and image processing, and both presentations were particularly impressive and informative. The industrial exhibition was well-organized and comprehensive, and provided a valuable overview of the state of the art in applying computers in our field. In particular, the exhibitions showed a general awareness that equipment must be not only ingenious, but actually needed by clinicians. David Dewhurst
HIGH TECHNOLOGY AIDS FOR DISABLED PEOPLE CIBA Foundation,
London,
UK, 13--15
October,
1981
This meeting, organized by the Biological Engineering Society in collaboration with the Disabilities Study Unit, was held at the CIBA Foundation, London, from October 13-15th, 1981. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss some of the research and development projects being pursued which required technological aids for the disabled, and to consider their possible applications. To encourage and to direct the discussion, the number of participants for each session were limited. This allowed the technologists to discuss their work in depth on the first two days.
76 J. Biomed. Engng. 1982, Vol. 4, January
The first session on ‘Assessment of Disability’ was chaired by Dr Tony Heyes of the Blind Mobility Unit. His paper dealt with aids for the blind and made the point that although any one aid, such as an ultrasonic torch, may not be completely satisfactory, it could be of value in combination with other aids. Other speakers covered the assessment of knee function, gait and stance, hearing and lip reading procedures. The real problem was how to transmit this information to representatives of user organizations on the third day.
June 1981
These Symposia are the principal means whereby the Society seeks to promote the application of telemetric methods in biology and medicine and to encourage advance in the relevant technology. The meeting followed the successful format established in previous conferences: a series of plenary sessions interspersed with prolonged periods for informal discussion*. Designers of biotelemetry systems have not been slow to adopt into the field the latest advances in solid-state electronics. With the advent of micropower CMOS logic circuitry, pulse modulation has become a more viable approach. Two such systems represented at the Conference were a 7-channel EMG telemetry system for use with athletes (Wouters et al, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium) and a mask for measuring respiratory parameters and heart rate in exercising horses (Hornicke et al, Institute for Zoophysiology, Stuttgart, Germany). The latter revealed relationships between these parameters and running speed which could provide an objective assessment of the degree of training. Professor K. Bachmann (University of Erlangen, Germany) reviewed the use of telemetry for ambulatory monitoring of cardiovascular performance. Radiotelemetry of multiple parameters, including ECG, heart rate, systemic blood pressure and pulmonary artery pressure, provided the most comprehensive picture of the cardiovascular response to haemodynamic stress during everyday situations. Such information could be used to monitor the effects of drug therapy and as the basis for advice given to patients about the consequences of their life styles. It was interesting that medical students and qualified physicians who did not have access to telemetered data, consistently underestimated the maximum arterial pressure for various daily activities. At present this approach is invasive, involving as it does the use of microcatheters; its application is therefore limited to short periods. Portable taperecorders could provide information over longer periods, but this was usually limited to ECG and heart rate. Telephone systems could extend monitoring to periods of months, but had few other advantages. Measurement of local blood flow in tissues under exercise as well as resting conditions would be greatly facilitated by the technique introduced by J. Bojsen and his co-workers (Finsen Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark). It was based on measurements of the rate of disappearance of an injected *The following is a selection of some of the interesting new develop. ments which were presented
‘33Xe micro-depot, using a small y-ray detector mounted on the overlying skin. A careful analysis showed how the influence of geometrical artefacts, arising from relative movements of skin and subcutaneous tissues, could be eliminated. Among new trends noticed at the meeting was the increasing interest in transmission at infrared and optical wavelengths. S. Salmons and J.M.C. Brown (University of Birmingham, UK) presented an implantable stimulator which could be switched on and off by a pulse of light transmitted through fur, skin and muscle tissues. The system was sensitive, showed a high immunity to interference and did not require accurate alignment of the transmitting and receiving devices. C. Weller and M.J. Burton (Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, UK) had ingeniously utilised infra-red energy for both power and signal transmission. Designed to monitor feeding behaviour in rats, the system consisted of a small transponder unit mounted on the head of each animal and activated by a sending device located inside the feeding stations. On an altogether larger scale, K. Bretz (Research Institute of Physical Education, Budapest, Hungary) described a system for monitoring parameters of physiological and psychological significance in children during normal classroom activities. Respiration rate, ECG, and either occipital EEG or EMG of muscles on the neck or forearm could be transmitted simultaneously from 10 pupils using pulse modulation on spaced carrier frequencies. The system was reliable and appeared to impose fewer constraints on the pupils’ freedom than the more usual VHF room telemetry systems. With the greater component packing densities made possible by developments in solid-state technology, biotelemetry devices are shrinking in size and increasing in circuit complexity. The physical implementation of these devices now falls into three broad categories, all of which were represented at the Conference. Firstly, circuitry can be constructed in a conventional way using discrete, microminiature components; examples were a tooth-contact detector (Matsumoto et al,, University of Hokkaido, Japan) and van Nuland’s transmitter for small amphibians mentioned earlier. Secondly, hybrid thick film techniques can be used to reduce the size of more complex circuits, such as the 3-channel implantable muscle stimulator presented by P. Strojnik et al. l’J. Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia). Thirdly, there exist, in just a few laboratories, the facilities for making custom monolothic integrated circuits. Happily the venue of the Belgium Conference provided the opportunity of touring the major European centre for work of this type: the ESAT Laboratory of the
J. Biomed.
Engng.
1982,
Vol.
4, January
75
Catholic University of Leuven. This is one of the best-equipped facilities to be found outside the semiconductor industry itself, and the range and quality of the research in progress was truly impressive. In view of the growing complexity of implantable electronic circuits and an increasing demand for storage telemetry based on solid-state memories, such facilities will have an important role to play in the future development of the biotelemetry field. Progress in this area was reviewed by J. Knutti, from Stanford University, California, USA, which will be the host institution for the Seventh Symposium in August 1982.
Congratulations are certainly due to the Organizing Committee, Professor W. Sansen, Dr H.P. Kimmich, Dr R. Govaerts, and Miss C. Hubloue-Moerenhout, and many others who helped to make this an enjoyable and stimulating meeting. Further information abdut the Society and the Symposia may be obtained from the Secretary, Dr J.A.J. Klijn, Department of Neurophysiology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Stanley Salmons
THE FOURTH STRATHCLYDE BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR Glasgow,
25 -28 August 1981 The workmg sessions covered a wide range of computer usage in medical science, the overall headings were: applications, the future of computer technology, signal and image analysis, information processing, and modelling. Papers were presented by delegates from the United Kingdom, Holland, Denmark, the United States, France, Bulgaria, Israel, Australia, Norway, Canada and India, making the meeting a truly international forum. The overall quality of the papers was excellent; inevitably a few authors proceeded to reinvent the wheel, and not all of them succeeded in arriving at a round one. This question was discussed, and the necessity of establishing a data base was emphasized.
The Strathclyde Bioengineering Seminars have achieved a very considerable reputation for professionalism, and the latest one, on Computing in Medicine, was a worthy member of the series. Organized in conjunction with the Biological Engineering Society, it attracted some two hundred registrants. The seven working sessions were supported by the 1981 Adam Thomson Lecture and an industrial exhibition. Particular credit should be given to Professor J.P. Paul and Drs Monica Jordan and Ferguson-Pell for the arrangements. The Adam Thomson Lecture was given by Mr W.J. Perkins, of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, on the topic ‘Transforming Data and Ideas into Information’. Readers of this journal will be very well aware of Jack Perkins’ stature in biomedical engineering, and the topic is particularly appropriate at this time, when computers used for data acquisition are producing a torrent of indigestible data. He developed a concept which is very close to his heart, the further application of computers is reducing a mass of raw data to a visual form capable of being assimilated by a human scientist. The scientist at the console can then apply ideas and insights to elucidate the underlying patterns. Mr. Perkins discussed modem views on the nature of scientific discovery, and providing some very persuasive examples from his own work on the modelling of viral structures.
The two keynote presentations were given by Professor J.H. Van Bemmel, of the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, and Professor R.S. Ledley, of Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Both speakers are eminent in the field of signal and image processing, and both presentations were particularly impressive and informative. The industrial exhibition was well-organized and comprehensive, and provided a valuable overview of the state of the art in applying computers in our field. In particular, the exhibitions showed a general awareness that equipment must be not only ingenious, but actually needed by clinicians. David Dewhurst
HIGH TECHNOLOGY AIDS FOR DISABLED PEOPLE CIBA Foundation,
London,
UK, 13--15
October,
1981
This meeting, organized by the Biological Engineering Society in collaboration with the Disabilities Study Unit, was held at the CIBA Foundation, London, from October 13-15th, 1981. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss some of the research and development projects being pursued which required technological aids for the disabled, and to consider their possible applications. To encourage and to direct the discussion, the number of participants for each session were limited. This allowed the technologists to discuss their work in depth on the first two days.
76 J. Biomed. Engng. 1982, Vol. 4, January
The first session on ‘Assessment of Disability’ was chaired by Dr Tony Heyes of the Blind Mobility Unit. His paper dealt with aids for the blind and made the point that although any one aid, such as an ultrasonic torch, may not be completely satisfactory, it could be of value in combination with other aids. Other speakers covered the assessment of knee function, gait and stance, hearing and lip reading procedures. The real problem was how to transmit this information to representatives of user organizations on the third day.