The Wireless Patient Monitoring System deploys the Zigbee standard to create a Personal Area Network (a wireless network with a coverage area of around 10 m) that is capable of integrating into the same wireless network used by monitoring systems such as an electrocardiogram, pulse oxymeter, blood pressure sensor, and glucometer. The patient monitor also includes a gateway device for data encapsulation and transmission to the back-end systems via Ethernet, WiFi, and GSM/GPRS/UMTS connections. This gateway device also encompasses a Java applet for data presentation over an LCD touchscreen. For increased integration and interoperability features, the system also supports Bluetooth connectivity. The system supports up to 4 devices transmitting at the same time, and is powered with a rechargeable battery.

A prototype of the Wireless Patient Monitoring System integrates with a pulse-oximeter. The prototype includes a Personal Area Network with one device and the Web application for oxygen saturation and pulse rate presentation. This prototype has been developed with the Freescale MC13191 development board.

The monitor has been designed with the “zero wires” principle, with the main objectives of increasing the comfort of patients, and extending the monitoring to almost anywhere, provided that it can integrate with any wired or wireless network (Ethernet, ADSL, Wi-Fi, WiMax, and Bluetooth). It can even deploy a mobile channel such as UMTS, GPRS, and UMTS to connect to the hospital systems and clinical monitors. Therefore, it provides seamless capabilities for telemedicine, telediagnostics, and follow-up of patients.

The patient monitor is an easy-to-configure and manage system that will improve the performance in hospital and home-care monitoring. It can also be integrated with existing monitoring infrastructures, which allow health institutions to keep their existing monitors and turn them into wireless systems. The system is highly scalable due to the fact that it establishes a portable monitoring area (PAN) for each patient that does not interfere with others, and conveys and presents the monitoring data via a Web application based in Java.

Finally, for acute diseases and deep anesthesia scenarios, the system provides a breathe flag that allows physicians to detect oxygen desaturation before it has been detected by the pulse oxymeter. The deployment of Web applications (Java), intelligent digital filters, and coding techniques (waveform interpolation) optimizes the bandwidth usage and storage in clinical applications.

The project is based on the standard IEEE 802.15.4-2003, which defines the protocol and interconnection of devices via radio communication in personal area networks (LR-WPAN). The standard deploys Waveform Interpolation for Source Coding and CSMA-CA (carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance), like the Ethernet standard IEEE 802.3, and supports star as well as peer-to-peer topologies.

Attending to the nature of the different bio-signals to monitor, this protocol is very well suited for clinical applications due to the fact that it may support over-the-air data rates of 250 Kbps, 40 Kbps, and 20 Kbps, depending on the operational frequency bands selected (usually ISM II at 2450 MHz and 868/915 MHz).

The main objectives of the system, such as in a LR-WPAN, are ease of installation, reliable data transfer, short-range operation (intensive care units, operation theaters, recovery rooms, and so on), a reasonable battery life, and seamless integration with clinical applications while maintaining a simple and flexible protocol.

This technology is offered by Sabirmedical. For more information, view the yet2.com TechPak at http://info.hotims.com/28051-164 .