Wireless Monitoring Offers More Accurate Assessment of COPD

The use of wireless monitors enables healthcare professionals to observe patients suffering from debilitating conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) under normal living conditions, providing a more accurate assessment of patient health. That is according to a report in the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology.

The assessment of debilitating diseases under normal living conditions has become increasingly important in improving treatment by allowing healthcare professionals to follow the progression of the condition. This, in turn, can keep costs down by avoiding unnecessary medical costs and hospital visits.

For their assessment, researchers from Kalasalingam University in India created a real-time monitoring system with vital signs sensors, a sensor network, electronic patient records and web portable technology that calls on medical personnel when life-threatening events occur. This system was said to be effective for “ambulatory investigation,” offering data collection and knowledge discovery capabilities not previously available outside a hospital or clinic.

Through recent advances in sensor technology the team created miniature movement, temperature, blood pressure and heart rate sensors to monitor various signals. These signals send out data, which can then be processed and integrated with the wireless network. The sensors were programmed to send out alert signals above a certain unhealthy body temperature, below a specific heart rate, or blood pressure changes of more than 10%.

The system works in conjunction with standard wireless networking technology with a 750-meter range. It hooks into a previously available web-based information portal to provide an effective emergency response information system to support the need for multiple parties to share information about the patients’ status and location.

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