Zarlink Semiconductor Inc. said it has shipped more than 30,000 radio chips to Minnesota-based medical technology maker St. Jude Medical, with more on the way.

The Ottawa-based company said it is shipping "production quantities" of its ZL70101-based radio system-on-a-chip modules to St. Jude, which provides products and services that treat cardiac, neurological and chronic pain patients worldwide.

"The ZL70101 radio chip for in-body communications is innovative technology that solves key performance challenges for St. Jude Medical and other manufacturers in this growing area of medical telemetry," stated Steve Swift, senior vice-president and general manager of Zarlink's medical communications product group.

The plug-in chip design, which is optimized for use in both implanted medical devices and external instruments, enables wireless communication between monitoring, diagnostic and therapeutic devices and programming equipment in a hospital or clinician's office.

"Zarlink's innovative MICS (medical implantable communication service band) technology is helping St. Jude Medical design new medical design new medical devices that can improve patient care today," stated Dr. Eric Fain, president of the St. Jude medical cardiac rhythm management division. "We have been working closely with Zarlink throughout the development of its MIC radio chip and module. We anticipate building on our relationship as we refine this technology and develop more advanced products treating a wider range of patient conditions."

St. Jude is using the Zarlink module in its advanced cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator and in its implantable cardioverter defibrillator platform of products.