Abstract
Mobile health monitoring via non-invasive wearable sensors is poised to advance telehealth for older adults and other vulnerable populations. Extreme heat and other environmental conditions raise serious health challenges that warrant monitoring of real-time physiological data as people go about their normal activities. Mobile systems could be beneficial for many communities, including elite athletes, military special forces, and at-home geriatric monitoring. While some commercial monitors exist, they are bulky, require reconfiguration, and do not fit seamlessly as a simple wearable device. We designed, prototyped and tested an integrated sensor platform that records heart rate, oxygen saturation, physical activity levels, skin temperature, and galvanic skin response. The device uses a small microcontroller to integrate the measurements and store data directly on the device for up to 48+ h. continuously. The device was compared to clinical standards for calibration and performance benchmarking. We found that our system compared favorably with clinical measures, such as fingertip pulse oximetry and infrared thermometry, with high accuracy and correlation. Our novel platform would facilitate an individualized approach to care, particularly those whose access to healthcare facilities is limited. The platform also can be used as a research tool to study physiological responses to a variety of environmental conditions, such as extreme heat, and can be customized to incorporate new sensors to explore other lines of inquiry.
Highlights
Heat-related diseases are significant causes of mortality and morbidity for various populations, including civilian and military groups, and pose serious public health concerns
Pulse oximetry is administered on the upper arm, as opposed to usual sites on the finger or ear lobe
The vascular beds in the upper arm are deeper, so interference by skin and musculature may explain the deviations in PPG shape when compared to traditional finger pulse oximetry [25]
Summary
Heat-related diseases are significant causes of mortality and morbidity for various populations, including civilian and military groups, and pose serious public health concerns. Sensors 2020, 20, 855 temperatures increase risks of heat illness and dehydration, and ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, renal failure, pneumonia and intestinal infections [1]. Exertional heat illness (EHI) is the most prominent cause of mortality [4]. Hydration is key to avoiding incidents of EHI, but even in well-hydrated athletes, extreme heat exposure has significant physiological effects [6]. Acute heat exposure is detrimental to muscle endurance, leaving athletes who train in hot weather especially susceptible to EHI [6]. Heat acclimation is recommended for athletes who train in extreme temperatures. Adaptability to heat stress can be enhanced using short-term acclimation via controlled hyperthermia and dehydration in highly trained athletes under careful monitoring [7]
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