Inclination measurement device for hospital beds’ in ICU

Abstract

Ventilator-associated pneumonia is acquired by many patients connected to an artificial airway, causing their death of a great percentage to those who are affected. A close relationship has been found between ventilator-associated pneumonia and hospital beds tilting angle which the patients rest on. The correct position has been established between 30° and 45° to reduce the likelihood of ventilator-associated pneumonia; so a tilt sensor linked to the hospital beds is a good method for measuring. The present article describes an electronic device which was developed able to create a link between an IMU sensor connected to a microcontroller and a Wi-Fi module that allows to display, in a real time graphical interface, located in the control center, the current position of hospital’s beds for being monitored by the nursing staff providing a record of the patients’ status in intensive care and emergency units. Device’s performance was checked by hysteresis and fixed position test along a previously defined time where errors in measurement of inclination remain within a suitable range.