A Belt-type Biomedical Mobile Device

Objective: To investigate a belt-type, biomedical mobile device capable of measuring patients’ biomedical signals and sending the biomedical data to a remote medical server. This device was designed to measure and record ECG and motion signals continuously for a moving subject and, on in the event of an emergent situation, to notify a remote doctor of the situation by transmitting data on the emergent situation to a remote server through a CDMA network. Methods: The developed system is composed of three parts: biomedical signal acquisition, biomedical data recording, and data transmission. We conducted four types of experiment in order to evaluate the developed system’s accuracy, reliability, operability, applicability to daily life, and SMS alarm function. First, we tested the accuracy of the R-R interval by comparing the signals measured via the developed system with those via a commercialized ECG system while the subjects were sitting, standing, lying or cycling. Second, we tested the reliability of the transmitted data to the remote server when two types of emergent events are generated in the developed system using a patient simulator, and measured the battery life to determine the system life. Third, we experimentally examined the accuracy of the corresponding data transmitted to the remote server via the CDMA network when two types of event are generated for each of seven types of action (sitting, standing, standing up from the seat, ordinary walking, fast walking, cycling, and running) during daily life. Lastly, we tested the SMS alarm function. Results: The acquisition and comparison of the subjects’ biomedical signals and motion signals confirmed the accuracy, reliability, operability and applicability of the developed system to daily life. The ability of the system to monitor the ECG signals and motion signals during daily life was also demonstrated. Conclusion: The system was demonstrated to be very applicable to subjects requiring continuous monitoring for chronic disease and health management. Therefore, the developed system is expected to play an important role in building ubiquitous healthcare systems in Korea in the near future. (Journal of Korean Society of Medical Informatics 15-3, 351-358, 2009)