Linear Channel Characteristics Analysis for Conductive Intracardiac Communication

Next-generation leadless cardiac pacemaker (LCP) only offers single-chamber pacing. Building a multi-node LCPs system that not only pacing but also real-time communication will benefit more patients. Therefore, whether the intracardiac channel (IC) has linear time-invariant properties is crucial for wireless communication for device synchronization. However, such an analysis has not been addressed. Thus, in this paper, performing in vitro porcine heart channel experiments from 100 kHz to 50 MHz, to verify IC characteristics of heart tissue without and with blood, respectively. The results of both experiments showed that the consistency correlation coefficients are greater than 96.1%, so IC can be considered as a linear channel. Furthermore, the signal strength received through IC without blood is approximately 50 mV higher than that received with blood. This implies that IC is more conducive to communication between LCPs when the cardiac cycle contains less blood. These findings could provide a reference for subsequent communication between LCPs.