Location independence in patient monitoring
Walter Karlen1,3, Mike Blackstock2, and J Mark Ansermino1,3
1Electrical & Computer Engineering in Medicine Group, 2Media and Graphics Interdisciplinary Centre,
3Pediatric Anesthesia Research Team, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Introduction
Hospital patients require physiological monitoring throughout their stay. Monitoring requirements
depend on the hospital unit (e.g. Admission, OR, ICU, ward). Currently, monitoring devices are
stationary and are connected by wires to sensors and patient. This is cumbersome for both patient
and health care providers, and sensors must be disconnected when the patient is prepared for
transfer between units. Further, sensors located in one unit are often incompatible with those in
another. We propose a novel concept that simplifies patient monitoring throughout the hospital.
Method
Approach: We propose a two level wireless network (Fig. 1). A personal area network (PAN) is
private to the patient and is responsible for the control of data communication. The PAN host
device connects to all required sensors using a wide range of supported protocols (e.g. serial,
USB, WiFi and Bluetooth), and is attached to the patient during the entire hospital stay. The PAN
host then wirelessly transmits the standardized data to a local area network (LAN) that records
patient health information in a database. This information can be retrieved in real time by either
stationary monitoring devices or mobile devices of health care providers throughout the hospital
network.
Prototype: The prototype consists of two pulse oximeters (Nonin, USA) connected via Bluetooth
and wired connection, respectively, to a computer with a Linux operating system that acts as the
host for the PAN. The LAN consists of a server running a web-based sensor actuator network
portal called Sense Tecnic [1]. A WiFi enabled mobile device is used as the monitoring display.
Fig. 1: A personal area network (PAN) monitors the patient and transmits the trend data to a local area
network (LAN) where health care workers can access the signals in real-time.
Results & Discussion
Blood oxygen saturation and heart rate trend signals are recorded and displayed in real time at a
1 Hz update rate. The web-based data portal allows platform independent, real-time monitoring.
The PAN allows for easy connection of sensors to the patient and facilitates monitoring during
patient movement and transportation. This approach will facilitate the use of elementary sensors
without interruption throughout the hospital. Unit specific sensors can be added to the PAN when
required. Future work will include geolocation by indoor triangulation using the WiFi network, and
size reduction of the PAN host.
[1] MAGIC Broker 2: An Open and Extensible Platform for the Internet of Things. M. Blackstock, N. Kaviani,
R. Lea, A. Friday. Internet of Things 2010 Conference, 2010, Tokyo, Japan. http://www.sensetecnic.com