Foam Embedded Wideband Antenna Array for Early Congestive Heart Failure Detection With Tests Using Artificial Phantom With Animal Organs

A foam-embedded wideband antenna array is used to build a portable system for congestive heart failure (CHF) detection. In addition to the array, which has a pair of four-element antenna subarrays, the system includes a portable vector network analyzer (VNA), a switching system, and a laptop, which contains control, signal processing, and image formation algorithms. The main aim of the built system is to provide a noninvasive, convenient, low cost, fast, and reliable platform for detection and monitoring of CHF. In that regard, the antenna elements are built using a three-dimensional (3-D) structure, which utilizes a combination of loop, monopole, and parasitic patches to cover the needed band (0.7-1 GHz) while keeping the size compact. A differential technique is utilized to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy cases. The performance of the system is tested on an artificial phantom and a phantom with a pair of lamb lungs, which are confirmed to have electrical properties close to those of humans. Several possible cases are investigated to validate the reliability of the system in the early detection of CHF.