Wearable patch-type ECG using ubiquitous wireless sensor network for healthcare monitoring application

Abstract

Nowadays, the technological advances in sensors network, integrated circuit and wireless communication have enabled the design of lightweight and low-cost sensor nodes particularly for healthcare application. Ubiquitous sensor network give new possibilities for monitoring of human biomedical signal using wearable sensors node and allow patients the freedom to move around but still under continuously monitoring. In this paper, a new concept for wearable patch-type ECG sensor node transmitting signal via an ultra low power consumption wireless data communications unit to personal computer using Zigbee-compatible wireless sensor node. The measured ECG signals carry a lot of clinical information for a cardiologist especially R-peak detection in ECG signals. R-peak detection generally uses the threshold value which is fixed. There will be error in peak detection when the baseline changes due to motion artifacts and signal size changes. Therefore, variable threshold method is used to detect the R-peak which is more accurate and efficient. In order to evaluate the performance analysis, R-peak detection using MIT-BIH databases and Long Term Real-Time ECG is performed in this research.