ABSTRACT
The cardiovascular use of implantable pressure transducers has been primarily directed toward the arterial system. The zero drift of the pressure transducers increases with decreasing size of the transducers. A second major restraining factor then is the transducer size. Differential pressure across a heart chamber or blood vessel, particularly the veins, would be highly desirable to measure. Implantable pressure transducers have been used to measure pressures in the right and left sides of the heart — particularly the ventricular chambers — and, at various points, along the aorta. The future needs for development of implantable pressure devices are predicated on both the use and limitations of the implantable telemetry unit in particular. The major reason for using an implantable device is the ability to use it for telemetry. The next stage is a totally implantable unit that has all of the features of an external measuring system but without any wires exiting the skin of the animal model.
