Real-Time Monitoring of Patients in Challenging Environments

Our US-based client wanted to develop an ECG monitor that could record and transmit information from adult patients undergoing treatment in a hospital. Their vision was to monitor patients in real-time and then transmit the data via the wireless medical telemetry frequencies used in hospitals. However, this posed a significant challenge as wireless networks within hospitals are unreliable due to reflective surfaces, solid walls, beds, wards, and other medical equipment and which all cause interference with wireless data transmission.

The system needed to reliably transmit accurate readings of heart rate determination, R-wave detection, ECG filtering and arrhythmia recognition. To ensure complete reliability, our approach was to incorporate multiple antennas to ensure communication with the patient-worn telemetry packs. A new bespoke system was developed which included radios, signal processing, software, and secure technology ready for adoption by hospitals.

The final product was a system with sufficient bandwidth to reliably monitor up to approximately two hundred patients at any given time. We were able to support our client throughout the entire development cycle, from initial concept to final manufacture, and whilst providing a custom service that exactly matched our client’s needs.

The system was approved by The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the USA, and over one third of all US hospitals are now routinely using this system.