Applications of totally implantable telemetry systems to chronic medical research.

The motivation for the development of advanced totally implantable telemetry systems is to improve the quality of medical care through a more detailed understanding of basic physiological processes. Three research protocols in electrophysiology, hepatic hemodynamics, and cardiac pharmacology are described which rely on new implantable instrumentation; these devices allow chronic measurements in the conscious animal of such diverse parameters as aortic and ventricular pressures; atrial, ventricular, and bundle of HIS electrograms; aortic and coronary blood flow, and total hepatic blood flow by measuring velocity profiles in the portal vein and the hepatic artery. The compact size and high reliability now achievable with these telemetry systems provides new tools to the researcher for the study of the body in health and disease.