A Survey on Key Features of Medium Access Control Protocols for Wireless Body Area Networks

Advancements in the low power wireless sensor network design gave the e-healthcare systems a new dimension, specifically to Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs). These technological developments benefits in a wide range of medical applications starting from simple physiological parameter monitoring to critical care in emergency. Even though the main task of the sensor node is to monitor the events occurring inside the body, the recording and communication of major events to the central station is necessary for better data analysis and future applications. Mostly the emergency event communication plays a vital role in critical care. So, firstly this paper elaborates on the technologies adopted for data communication in WBANs. Secondly, this article gives a comprehensive review of the existing MAC (Medium Access Control) protocols to facilitate in identifying the problems associated with the data frame transmission in terms of collision, packet loss and power consumption.