# Monitoring of Surgically Treated Upper Arm Fracture by Implanted Antenna at 402 MHz
###### Abstract  
Remote patient monitoring aims to reduce non-essential visits to clinics and hospitals, monitor high-risk patients outside clinical settings, and optimize clinical staff utilization. This paper proposes a new monitoring application for surgically treated upper arm fractures. The humerus fracture should be healed within four to six weeks. Traditional monitoring is conducted through repeated X-ray images and visits to clinical laboratories or hospitals. Our goal is to avoid the expected drawbacks due to repeated exposure to X-rays, such as vomiting, bleeding, fainting, and sometimes the risk of cancer. Furthermore, this study aims to improve the patient's quality of life during the treatment period by monitoring them at home. The technique depends on implanting a 116 mm length half-wave dipole antenna in the fractured arm and recording the reflection coefficient and the transmitted power at the far-field of it outside the body at 402 MHz. The fracture is represented by an extra layer added to the humerus, which increases the loss of electromagnetic field in the human tissue and then reduces the value of the transmitted power. The existence of fractures shows a change in the transmitted average power densities (APDs) in the range of 11.54% to 15.75%, based on the fracture types, and an increase in reflection coefficients in the range of \(-\)22.35 dB to \(-\)22.65 dB compared to the normal bone, which monitors the bone healing status. The standard limit of the specific absorption rate was taken into account to guarantee the safety of the human body. Different fracture types were considered and monitored, and CST Microwave Studio was used for simulation. The technique was verified experimentally by measurements carried out on a lifeless front leg animal model. The technique can also be used for the monitoring of ulna and tibia fractures. EM wave application; implanted antenna; healthcare monitoring; fracture healing; upper arm +
Footnote †: journal: Medical  
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Classic healthcare technologies are commonly used for the medical diagnosis of cancer, bone imaging, etc. The technologies include mammography; computed tomography (CT), which was described by [PERSON] in 1963 using the X-ray discovered by [PERSON] in 1895; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using magnetic field, which was first tested in 1980; and sonography using ultrasound, which was first produced commercially in 1965. Although they provide images with a high contrast between different human tissues and good spatial resolution, conventional technologies have their drawbacks [2]. As a result of their bulky machinery and high manufacturing cost, MRI systems are not widely available in all hospitals. The scan time and post-processing time of the signals are relatively long. Mammography and CT scan units use ionized radiation, which is harmful to human tissues and increases the risk of cancer in certain conditions. Furthermore, the examinations associated with the mammography system are painful and must be accepted by patients. The ultrasound technique is preferable in medical diagnosis and imaging as there is no ionization. However, the penetration through bone tissue and air is short due to the strong reflection associated with it. In contrast to the drawbacks and risks associated with conventional techniques in healthcare, microwave technology uses non-ionizing radiation. Compared to mammography and CT scan, the used electromagnetic waves are less harmful to human tissues. Moreover, microwaves demonstrate good penetration through all human tissues at low frequencies, especially in the medical implant communication system (MICS) band. Such an advantage is not available in the ultrasound technique. Wide bandwidth microwave signals provide high-resolution medical imaging. Additionally, microwaves combine diagnosis and wireless transmission signals within the same frequency range, which is not possible when using other traditional technologies.