Local communications network for distributed sensing and therapy in biomedical applications

A local communication network for an implantable medical device system is provided. The system includes a first medical device and a second medical device adapted for implantation in the body of a patient including a telemetry circuit enabled for transmitting data via a wireless communication link to the first medical device. The system further includes a third device comprising signal generating circuitry for generating a wake-up signal. The second implantable medical device transitions from an ''off'' state to a high-power ''on'' state in response to the wake-up signal generated by the third device.