Wireless Wearables and Implants: A Dosimetry Review

2020 · Unclear · Insufficient evidence

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UnclearInsufficient evidencePaper 1626

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020

Study typereview

Reported directionUnclear

Evidence ratingInsufficient

Abstract

Wireless Wearables and Implants: A Dosimetry Review Guido K, Kiourti A. Bioelectromagnetics. Wireless Wearables and Implants: A Dosimetry Review. 2020 Jan;41(1):3-20. doi: 10.1002/bem.22240. Abstract Wireless wearable and implantable devices are continuing to grow in popularity, and as this growth occurs, so too does the need to consider the safety of such devices. Wearable and implantable devices require the transmitting and receiving of electromagnetic waves near and through the body, which at high enough exposure levels may damage proximate tissues. The specific absorption rate (SAR) is the quantity commonly used to enumerate exposure levels, and various national and international organizations have defined regulations limiting exposure to ensure safe operation. In this paper, we comprehensively review dosimetric studies reported in the literature up to the year 2019 for wearables and implants. We discuss antenna designs for wearables and implants as they relate to SAR values and field and thermal distributions in tissue, present designs that have made steps to reduce SAR, and then review SAR considerations as they relate to applied devices. As compared with previous review papers, this paper is the first review to focus on dosimetry aspects relative to wearable and implantable devices. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Conclusions This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the dosimetry aspects relevant to wearable and implantable antennas. Placing radiators close to or within the body poses challenges for both radiation efficiency and device safety. The primary indicator of dosimetry for such increasingly prevalent devices, SAR, manifests as a temperature increase within body tissues. When SAR peaks outside of the safe limits outlined by the IEEE, ICNIRP, and FCC, damage to the surrounding tissues, usually those located closest to the device, can occur. As such, designers of wearable and implantable devices are taking steps to reduce SAR levels while maintaining the radiation characteristics of the antenna. Both designers of wearable devices and designers of implantable devices share many of the methods used to reduce SAR, such as metamaterials and other ground plane alterations, and all methods seek to reduce peak areas of the electric field. As these devices continue to grow in popularity, designers must not only consider the safety of their own device but also the combined safety of the other devices that may be implemented on/in the same person.

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AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typereview

Effect directionunclear

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureNot supplied

Evidence strengthInsufficientConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

This paper reviews dosimetric studies (up to 2019) for wireless wearable and implantable devices, focusing on SAR and associated field/thermal distributions in tissue. It notes that when SAR exceeds IEEE/ICNIRP/FCC limits, tissue damage to areas closest to the device can occur, and it summarizes antenna/design approaches intended to reduce SAR while maintaining radiation characteristics.

Outcomes measured

specific absorption rate (SAR)
field distribution in tissue
thermal (temperature) distribution in tissue
device safety relative to exposure limits (IEEE/ICNIRP/FCC)

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "review",
  "exposure": {
    "band": null,
    "source": "wireless wearable and implantable devices",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "specific absorption rate (SAR)",
    "field distribution in tissue",
    "thermal (temperature) distribution in tissue",
    "device safety relative to exposure limits (IEEE/ICNIRP/FCC)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "This paper reviews dosimetric studies (up to 2019) for wireless wearable and implantable devices, focusing on SAR and associated field/thermal distributions in tissue. It notes that when SAR exceeds IEEE/ICNIRP/FCC limits, tissue damage to areas closest to the device can occur, and it summarizes antenna/design approaches intended to reduce SAR while maintaining radiation characteristics.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [],
  "evidence_strength": "insufficient",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "wearables",
    "implants",
    "dosimetry",
    "SAR",
    "antenna design",
    "thermal distribution",
    "field distribution",
    "IEEE",
    "ICNIRP",
    "FCC"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.6,
      "reason": "Discusses exposure limits and safe limits outlined by ICNIRP (also IEEE and FCC) in the context of SAR for wearables/implants."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1002/bem.22240
PubMed: Not supplied

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