March 23, 2004
Wireless Patient Monitor
A recent article in Nature Science Update describes a new technology announced at the current CeBIT show in Hanover, Germany that is a wireless wrist monitor that allows patients, who may not have been ambulatory because of the need for monitoring devices, to roam freely in a hospital or long-term care facility.
The wristband measures both pulse rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood, with a transmitter to relay the information to a computer. The system essentially does away with the tangle of wires used by conventional monitoring devices. The design could incorporate additional functions, such as sensors for body temperature, blood sugar level and blood pressure.The system could then automatically alert medical services if a patient or elderly person had a problem.
The basic concept underlying the mobile wrist monitor is BAN or Body Area Network - a technology developed by a German firm, Fraunhofer, for monitoring and logging vital signs to supervise the health status of patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as diabetes and asthma. Another prominent area of application for long-term logging of patient data is cardiology, where 24-hour-ECGs are required for therapy control and as early indicators for impending heart attacks.
"The basic concept of BAN is the fusion of both ideas: a set of mobile, compact units which enable transfer of vital parameters between the patientīs location and the clinic or the doctor in charge. The vital signs data flow passes a chain of BAN modules from each sensor to a main body station, which consolidates the data streams of all sensor modules attached. It transmits the data to a home base station, from where they can be forwarded via telephone line or internet."
Posted by rsk at March 23, 2004 09:51 AM