Efficient routing protocol development requires a proper network topology as it effects the overall performance of the communication system [19]. Proper network topology is very important for WBSNs because of the energy constraint, body postural movements, heterogeneous nature of the sensors and short transmission range. Some researchers use single hop communication, where each node communicates directly with the destination, while others use cluster based multi-hop routing, and are discussed later in this paper.3.2. Topological PartitioningThe network topology of WBSNs often faces the problem of disconnection or partitioning because of body postural movements and short range transmissions. Different researchers have tried to solve the problem of disconnection and partitioning in different ways.

For example, the authors of [20] use Line-of-Sight (LoS) and None-Line-of-Sight (NLoS) communication, while the authors of [21�C23] use store-and-forward routing to solve this problem. Therefore, the proposed routing protocols should take care of the different topological changes.3.3. Energy EfficiencyEnergy efficiency covers both the local energy consumption of nodes and the overall network lifetime. For implanted bio-medical sensors, it is not possible to replace the power source, while for wearable bio-medical sensors replacing the batteries might lead to discomfort of patients. Therefore, both energy consumption and network lifetime are major challenges in wireless body sensor networks. Communication among the sensor nodes consumes more energy as compared to sensing and processing [24].

Any proposed algorithm should be able to use different paths and/or nodes to send the data instead of depending on a single path and/or node preventing the consumption of total energy of that specific node(s). In [22], the authors define the network life as the time from which the network starts till the time Dacomitinib when the first node of the network expires. The network life is very much important in WBSNs because of energy constraints and the impossibility of replacing the energy source for implanted sensors.3.4. Limited ResourcesAlong with limited energy source, WBSNs also have short Radio Frequency (RF) transmission range, poor computation capabilities, limited storage capacity, as well as low bandwidth��which may keep on changing due to noise and other interferences [19]. Researchers must be aware of the limited resources when designing routing protocols for WBSNs.3.5. Quality of Service (QoS)In WBSNs different types of data require different quality of services as it deals with vital signs of the human body. The authors in [25,26] have classified the patient data into critical data (like EEG, ECG etc.