robust medical lead 10 in a preferred embodiment conduction bands 30 including the conductor band body 34 are composed of an electrically conductive hydrophilic hydrogel polymer such as a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer which is sold under the trade name of techophilic and manufactured by lubrizol advanced materials of wickliffe ohio the hydrophilic hydrogel polymer is designed to absorb a liquid such as a saline solution salt ions from the saline solution incorporate into the porous hydrogel material structure to provide a means for electrical conduction within the hydrogel material of the conductor band prior to use the medical lead 10 is submerged in saline where it is allowed to soak for about 10 minutes to about 3 hours that is so the conduction bands 30 have a sufficient amount of saline and electrically conductive salt ions diffused in the hydrophilic polymer hydrogel structure it is possible however that the medical lead 10 could be inserted into the body without previously soaking the lead in saline in this situation the operation of the medical lead 10 would rely upon the diffusion of ions present in the body into the hydrogel material to provide electrical conductivity in addition a therapeutic drug can be loaded within the porous hydrophilic structure of the hydrogel material prior to insertion of the lead into a body tissue the therapeutic drug is incorporated into the structure of the hydrogel by either soaking the hydrogel material in the therapeutic drug or injecting the hydrogel material with the therapeutic drug such as with a needle or syringe the therapeutic drug is then sequentially eluted from the porous structure of the hydrogel material when the conduction band 30 is located at a.