Abstract:
This paper presents the realization of a
remote heart rate monitoring system for continuous long-time
patient monitoring from one location as a part of diagnostic
procedure. Heart rate, one of the most important physiological
parameters to human body, is closely related to the function
and status of the human heart. For a patient whom already
diagnosed with fatal heart disease, their heart rate condition
has to be monitored continuously. The proposed system consists
of microcontroller based heart rate measurement device that
uses IR sensor to measure the alteration in blood volume at
fingertip with each heart beat. Data obtained in form of pulses
will be processed using PIC16F877A microcontroller, and then
transmitted securely to a centralized PC station using an Xbee
wireless system for display, storage and analysis purposes.
Besides, the heart rate is also displayed on LCD at the
measurement device unit to allow the patient to monitor their
condition by themselves. As soon as the heart rate presents an
abnormal status, an alert notification will be sent to the
centralized monitoring unit. This will enable doctors and
nurses to provide medical assistance to the patient in short time
or to take immediate treatment measures in case of emergency.
