Unconstrained physiological monotoring in daily living for health care.

Abstract

This paper deals with the recent development of two types of non-invasive physiological monitoring systems for possible application in an unconstrained manner to normal subjects for health care as well as to patients and/or outpatients with disorders or with life support systems (artificial organs and organ transplantations). One is an ambulatory monitoring system which allows automatic acquisition of blood pressure, cardiac output and other cardiovascular hemodynamic parameters on a beat-by-beat basis using the volume-compensation and transthoracic electrical admittance method. The other is a home monitoring system installed in a lavatory which can measure body and excreta weight together with the ballistocardiogram as an index of cardiac ejecting function in an unaware fashion without attachment of any sensors to the subject's body and without special operations for measurement during toilet use. Outlines of these two systems and monitoring results of laboratory and field testings are presented, and these suggest that the ambulatory and non-conscious physiological monitoring techniques described herein appear promising as a valuable and helpful means for use in research as well as in the practical field of health monitoring at home during daily living.