Transmission Of Physiological Data Research Articles

Secured Fog-Body-Torrent : A Hybrid Symmetric Cryptography with Multi-layer Feed Forward Networks Tuned Chaotic Maps for Physiological Data Transmission in Fog-BAN Environment

Recently, the Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) have become a promising and practical option in the tele-care medicine information system that aids for the better clinical monitoring and diagnosis. The trend of using Internet of Things (IoT) has propelled the WBAN technology to new dimension in terms of its network characteristics and efficient data transmission. However, these networks demand the strong authentication protocol to enhance the confidentiality, integrity, recoverability and dependability against the emerging cyber-physical attacks owing to the exposure of the IoT ecosystem and the confidentiality of biometric data. Hence this study proposes the Fog based WBAN infrastructure which incorporates the hybrid symmetric cryptography schemes with the chaotic maps and feed forward networks to achieve the physiological data info security without consuming the characteristics of power hungry WBAN devices. In the proposed model, scroll chaotic maps are iterated to produce the high dynamic keys streams for the real time applications and feed-forward layers are leveraged to align the complex input-output associations of cipher data for subsequent mathematical tasks. The feed forward layers are constructed which relies on the principle of Adaptive Extreme Learning Machines (AELM) thereby increasing randomness in the cipher keys thereby increasing its defensive nature against the different cyber-physical attacks and ensuring the high secured encrypted-decrypted data communication between the users and fog nodes. The real time analysis is conducted during live scenarios. BAN-IoT test beds interfaced with the heterogeneous healthcare sensors and various security metrics are analysed and compared with the various residing cryptographic algorithms. Results demonstrates that the recommended methodology has exhibited the high randomness characteristics and low computational overhead compared with the other traditional BAN oriented cryptography protocol schemes

Economic Evaluations of Digital Health Interventions for Patients With Heart Failure: Systematic Review.

Digital health interventions (DHIs) have shown promising results in enhancing the management of heart failure (HF). Although health care interventions are increasingly being delivered digitally, with growing evidence on the potential cost-effectiveness of adopting them, there has been little effort to collate and synthesize the findings. This study's objective was to systematically review the economic evaluations that assess the adoption of DHIs in the management and treatment of HF. A systematic review was conducted using 3 electronic databases: PubMed, EBSCOhost, and Scopus. Articles reporting full economic evaluations of DHIs for patients with HF published up to July 2023 were eligible for inclusion. Study characteristics, design (both trial based and model based), input parameters, and main results were extracted from full-text articles. Data synthesis was conducted based on the technologies used for delivering DHIs in the management of patients with HF, and the findings were analyzed narratively. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed for this systematic review. The reporting quality of the included studies was evaluated using the CHEERS (Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards) guidelines. Overall, 27 economic evaluations were included in the review. The economic evaluations were based on models (13/27, 48%), trials (13/27, 48%), or a combination approach (1/27, 4%). The devices evaluated included noninvasive remote monitoring devices (eg, home telemonitoring using digital tablets or specific medical devices that enable transmission of physiological data), telephone support, mobile apps and wearables, remote monitoring follow-up in patients with implantable medical devices, and videoconferencing systems. Most of the studies (24/27, 89%) used cost-utility analysis. The majority of the studies (25/27, 93%) were conducted in high-income countries, particularly European countries (16/27, 59%) such as the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Mobile apps and wearables, remote monitoring follow-up in patients with implantable medical devices, and videoconferencing systems yielded cost-effective results or even emerged as dominant strategies. However, conflicting results were observed, particularly in noninvasive remote monitoring devices and telephone support. In 15% (4/27) of the studies, these DHIs were found to be less costly and more effective than the comparators (ie, dominant), while 33% (9/27) reported them to be more costly but more effective with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios below the respective willingness-to-pay thresholds (ie, cost-effective). Furthermore, in 11% (3/27) of the studies, noninvasive remote monitoring devices and telephone support were either above the willingness-to-pay thresholds or more costly than, yet as effective as, the comparators (ie, not cost-effective). In terms of reporting quality, the studies were classified as good (20/27, 74%), moderate (6/27, 22%), or excellent (1/27, 4%). Despite the conflicting results, the main findings indicated that, overall, DHIs were more cost-effective than non-DHI alternatives. PROSPERO CRD42023388241; https://tinyurl.com/2p9axpmc.

Utilizing blockchains in opportunistic networks for integrity and confidentiality

Opportunistic networks (OppNets) are usually a set of smart, wearable, and portable devices or entities with mobility that connect wirelessly without requiring infrastructure. Such a network is of great importance in data transmission, particularly in incidents and disasters, whether man-made or natural. However, message integrity and confidentiality are of concern when dealing with vital and physiological data transmission under strict privacy regulations. In this work, we propose a structure to classify messages based on their priority in different queues. Furthermore, due to the decentralized architecture of OppNets, we propose a blockchain-based structure for providing security for high-priority messages. It contains three sequences of functional blocks with a light and simplified implementation that make it suitable for battery-powered wearable devices that are limited in energy consumption and computational units. The simulation results show that by increasing the number of nodes in the network, the average of the changes in block sizes is neglectable, which addresses the computation bottleneck. Furthermore, we analyze the performance of the proposed structure in terms of message delivery and network overhead compared with the Epidemic and Prophet routing algorithms. These results indicate advancing the overall performance of the proposed algorithm.

The substantiation of the parameters of an unmanned system for automated monitoring of animals on pasture

The research provides the substantiation of the main parameters of an unmanned automated herd monitoring system on a pasture by automating the measurement of current physiological indicators of animals to improve the efficiency and rate of supervision over them in free grazing conditions. The studies were based on the theory of radio communication about the propagation of radio waves, and also there was used a graphoanalytic method for calculating the parameters of component elements as parts of an unmanned system for automated monitoring of animals on pasture. The DJI Phantom 4 Advanced quadcopter was used to measure the flight time of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the real pasture. As a payload, the weight of 350 g was taken. As a pasture, the experimental field at the farm “Kutuzovka”, Kharkiv district, Kharkiv region with an area of 200 ha was used. The research was carried out in summer 2021. According to the results of well-known studies of the processes, methods and technical means of monitoring the physiological state of animals on pasture, it has been established that the advanced technological means including air-based devices should be used for remote monitoring. Among them are helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as elements of the radio telemetry system (RTM), individual tags and sensors of the physiological parameters of the animal. At the same time, an unmanned automated monitoring system in combination with RTM elements is able to provide the transmission of physiological data from any sensors located on the animal's body or inside it. The data are transmitted to the main point of receiving information for processing it on a PC and giving recommendations to specialists (veterinarians, zootechnicians, etc.). The power of the relay equipment on board the UAV is calculated to be at least 60 mW and the communication range with the animal transponder not more than 800 m. The main parameters of the UAV flight over a pasture of 200 hectares have been experimentally established – the height is 20 m, the speed is 8.7 km/h, the time is 27.5 min, the payload is 350 g.

Telemonitoring in heart failure patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Home telemonitoring has been used as a modality to prevent readmission and improve outcomes for patients with heart failure. However, studies have produced conflicting outcomes over the years. To determine the aggregate effect of telemonitoring on all-cause mortality, heart failure-related mortality, all-cause hospitalization, and heart failure-related hospitalization in heart failure patients. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 38 home telemonitoring randomized controlled trials involving 14993 patients. We also conducted a sensitivity analysis to examine the effect of telemonitoring duration, recent heart failure hospitalization, and age on telemonitoring outcomes. Our study demonstrated that home telemonitoring in heart failure patients was associated with reduced all-cause [relative risk (RR) = 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.75-0.92, P = 0.001] and cardiovascular mortality (RR = 0.66, 95%CI: 0.54-0.81, P < 0.001). Additionally, telemonitoring decreased the all-cause hospitalization (RR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.80-0.94, P = 0.002) but did not decrease heart failure-related hospitalization (RR = 0.88, 95%CI: 0.77-1.01, P = 0.066). However, prolonged home telemonitoring (12 mo or more) was associated with both decreased all-cause and heart failure hospitalization, unlike shorter duration (6 mo or less) telemonitoring. Home telemonitoring using digital/broadband/satellite/wireless or blue-tooth transmission of physiological data reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in heart failure patients. In addition, prolonged telemonitoring (≥ 12 mo) reduces all-cause and heart failure-related hospitalization. The implication for practice is that hospitals considering telemonitoring to reduce heart failure readmission rates may need to plan for prolonged telemonitoring to see the effect they are looking for.

Clinical Care of Hyperthyroidism Using Wearable Medical Devices in a Medical IoT Scenario.

This paper presents an in-depth study and analysis of clinical care of patients with hyperthyroidism using wearable medical devices in the context of medical IoT scenarios. According to the use scenario of the gateway and the connectivity of the equipment, the hardware architecture, hardware interfaces, functionality, and performance of the gateway were briefly designed, so as to monitor patients with hyperthyroidism more comprehensively and save labor costs. The gateway can provide access to different devices and adaptation functions to different hardware interfaces and provide hardware support for the subsequent deployment of the proposed new medical communication protocols and related information systems. A medical data convergence information system based on multidevice management and multiprotocol parsing was designed and implemented. The system enables the management and configuration of different medical devices and access to data through the targeted parsing of the underlying medical device communication protocols. The system also provides the automatic adaptation of multiple types of underlying medical device communication protocols and automatic parsing of multiple versions and can provide multiple devices to process fused data streams or device information and data from a single device. The use of event-driven asynchronous communication eliminates the tight dependency on service invocation in the synchronous communication approach. The use of a metadata-based data model structure enables model extensions to accommodate the impact of iterative business requirements on the database structure. Real-time patient physiological data transmission for intraoperative monitoring based on the MQTT protocol and video transmission for intraoperative patient monitoring based on the RTMP protocol were implemented. The development of the intelligent medical monitoring service system was completed, and the system was tested, optimized, and deployed. The functionality and performance of the system were tested, the performance issue of slow query speed was optimized, and the deployment of the project using Docker containers was automated.

Correction to: An innovative approach to integrate unequal protection-based steganography and progressive transmission of physiological data

There was an error in Eq. 15 in the original publication. The term |C (k)| should have been in the denominator.

Joint optimization of power control and time slot allocation for wireless body area networks via deep reinforcement learning

E-healthcare system based on wireless body area network (WBAN) promises to produce potential benefits in health-care industry. A major issue of such an on-body networked system is the energy efficiency, that is, how to improve the reliability and effectiveness of physiological data transmission with the energy constraints of tiny wireless sensors. Motivated by this, we consider an individual WBAN scenario, focusing on finding an adaptive time slot allocation and power control scheme to maximize the average energy efficiency for implementing the task of health monitoring. We formulate the maximization problem with latency and sensors’ energy budget constraints as a markov decision process (MDP). As a solution, we propose a deep reinforcement learning-based scheme to make a sequence decision for the MDP, which jointly optimizes power control and slot allocation. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme is energy efficient and has a good convergence.

Fully Untethered Battery-free Biomonitoring Electronic Tattoo with Wireless Energy Harvesting

Bioelectronics stickers that interface the human epidermis and collect electrophysiological data will constitute important tools in the future of healthcare. Rapid progress is enabled by novel fabrication methods for adhesive electronics patches that are soft, stretchable and conform to the human skin. Yet, the ultimate functionality of such systems still depends on rigid components such as silicon chips and the largest rigid component on these systems is usually the battery. In this work, we demonstrate a quickly deployable, untethered, battery-free, ultrathin (~5 μm) passive “electronic tattoo” that interfaces with the human skin for acquisition and transmission of physiological data. We show that the ultrathin film adapts well with the human skin, and allows an excellent signal to noise ratio, better than the gold-standard Ag/AgCl electrodes. To supply the required energy, we rely on a wireless power transfer (WPT) system, using a printed stretchable Ag-In-Ga coil, as well as printed biopotential acquisition electrodes. The tag is interfaced with data acquisition and communication electronics. This constitutes a “data-by-request” system. By approaching the scanning device to the applied tattoo, the patient’s electrophysiological data is read and stored to the caregiver device. The WPT device can provide more than 300 mW of measured power if it is transferred over the skin or 100 mW if it is implanted under the skin. As a case study, we transferred this temporary tattoo to the human skin and interfaced it with an electrocardiogram (ECG) device, which could send the volunteer’s heartbeat rate in real-time via Bluetooth.

An innovative approach to integrate unequal protection-based steganography and progressive transmission of physiological data

Evolving digital technologies in remote health monitoring require an energy-efficient method for secure and reliable transmission of patient’s/user’s confidential information from the sensor nodes to the cloud/medical server. Thus, a united scheme of the physiological signal steganography and its communication by benefitting from the unequal significance between different parts of the physiological data are emphasized. We believe higher steganography coding strength and more robust source-channel coding would protect extremely vital parts of the physiological data. Therefore, data integrity and transmission efficiency of packet information achieved in a resilient way. We formulate our idea of joint steganography-source-channel coding ( $$JS^{2}C^{2}$$ ) as an optimization problem to simultaneously securing and minimizing the transmission energy consumption. A low-complexity deep learning-based ECG classification algorithm along with its secure and energy-efficient neural $$JS^{2}C^{2}$$ transmission for real-time monitoring has been realized. The optimal parameters for our united framework have been calculated by $$JS^{2}C^{2}$$ optimization method. Our steganography algorithm unequal steganography embedding (USE) achieves very low wavelet-based weighted percent root-mean-squared difference lower than $$0.5\%$$ . Furthermore, the high correlation between cover and stego and low end-to-end mean-square error (MSE) indicates resilient imperceptibility and maintains the diagnosability of the physiological signal. Moreover, low MSE between embedded and extracted data validates that embedded confidential data has been extracted with negligible distortion. In addition, for the given distortion, the USE-based framework’s energy consumption is much smaller (by 55% in typical application scenario) as compared with the equal steganography embedding-based approach’s energy consumption.

Evaluation of a Behind-the-Ear ECG Device for Smartphone Based Integrated Multiple Smart Sensor System in Health Applications

In this paper, we present a wireless Multiple Smart Sensor System (MSSS) in conjunction with a smartphone to enable an unobtrusive monitoring of electrocardiogram (ear-lead ECG) integrated with multiple sensor system which includes core body temperature and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) for ambulatory patients. The proposed behind-the-ear device makes the system desirable to measure ECG data: technically less complex, physically attached to non-hair regions, hence more suitable for long term use, and user friendly as no need to undress the top garment. The proposed smart sensor device is similar to the hearing aid device and is wirelessly connected to a smartphone for physiological data transmission and displaying. This device not only gives access to the core temperature and ECG from the ear, but also the device can be controlled (removed and reapplied) by the patient at any time, thus increasing the usability of personal healthcare applications. A number of combination ECG electrodes, which are based on the area of the electrode and dry/non-dry nature of the surface of the electrodes are tested at various locations near behind the ear. The best ECG electrode is then chosen based on the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of the measured ECG signals. These electrodes showed acceptable SNR ratio of ~20 db, which is comparable with existing tradition ECG electrodes. The developed ECG electrode systems is then integrated with commercially available PPG sensor (Amperor pulse oximeter) and core body temperature sensor (MLX90614) using a specialized micro controller (Arduino UNO) and the results monitored using a newly developed smartphone (android) application.

An Energy Efficient Routing Algorithm for Wireless Body Area Network

Wireless body area networks (WBANs) are emerging as one of the newest forms of Wireless Sensor Networks. In WBANs, sensor nodes accumulate human physiological data and transmit it to the sink node. However, transmission of physiological data to the sink node over a mobile route becomes a very daunting task for sensors due to their limited battery power. Moreover, replacement of critical sensor nodes is a major challenge in such scenarios. In order to increase network lifetime, some routing protocols have been proposed in the literature, but the majority of them are focused on coverage distance and residual energy of sensor nodes. In this work, we will propose an energy efficient routing algorithm for WBANs that will take into consideration two additional attributes (node criticality and communication count) along with the above stated attributes. These four parameters in the proposed algorithm will result in enhancement of working lifetime of the network via less energy consumption in comparison to existing routing protocols.

Telephone monitoring improves outcomes in patients with CHF

Klersy et al. have performed a meta-analysis of remote monitoring of patients with heart failure. Programs using structured telephone support (telephone-monitoring approach) were combined with those using transmission of physiological data (technology-assisted approach) in combination with telephone communication. Results from this study may inform policy makers regarding a potential solution to reducing hospital readmissions.

Real-Time Detection of Apneas on a PDA

Patients suspected of suffering sleep apnea and hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) have to undergo sleep studies such as expensive polysomnographies to be diagnosed. Healthcare professionals are constantly looking for ways to improve the ease of diagnosis and comfort for this kind of patients as well as reducing both the number of sleep studies they need to undergo and the waiting times. Relating to this scenario, some research proposals and commercial products are appearing, but all of them record the physiological data of patients to portable devices and, in the morning, these data are loaded into hospital computers where physicians analyze them by making use of specialized software. In this paper, we present an alternative proposal that promotes not only a transmission of physiological data but also a real-time analysis of these data locally at a mobile device. For that, we have built a classifier that provides an accuracy of 93% and a receiver operating characteristic-area under the curve (ROC-AUC) of 98.5% on SpO(2) signals available in the annotated Apnea-ECG Database. This local analysis allows the detection of anomalous situations as soon as they are generated. The classifier has been implemented taking into consideration the restricted resources of mobile devices.

Standards for physiological data transmission and archiving for the support of the service of critical care

Physiological data is monitored and displayed on medical devices around the world every day, and the volume of this data is steadily increasing and newer monitoring devices enter the clinical setting. However, the vast majority of this data is lost since it is most often displayed once as it is recorded, perhaps replayed one or more times while it exists in the device's volatile memory. What little data that is permanently recorded is most commonly saved through hand written annotations, in paper records and in some limited samples stored on hospital clinical information systems. Meanwhile, current methods of data analysis provide opportunities to utilize this data for improved care of these same critical care patients. A major inhibitor to this becoming reality is the lack of standards for the representation, transmission and storage of physiological data. HL7, for example, does not include definitions for time series data. Research into the use of these data will soon be reaching the clinical setting and the need for such standards to be defined is becoming urgent.

Recommendations for the Implementation of Telemedicine Within Stroke Systems of Care

In 2005, the American Stroke Association formed a task force on the development of stroke systems to propose a new framework for stroke care delivery that would emphasize linkages rather than silos in the chain of stroke survival and provide a blueprint for large organizations or state and federal agencies on how to implement a more coordinated approach to stroke care.1 The stroke systems of care model (SSCM) recommends implementation of telemedicine and aeromedical transport to increase access to acute stroke care in neurologically underserved areas, as do the latest American Stroke Association guidelines for the early management of adults with ischemic stroke.2 The present report was commissioned by the American Heart Association to address how telemedicine might help address current barriers to improved stroke care delivery in the United States within the framework of the SSCM. Telemedicine has been defined broadly as “the use of telecommunications technologies to provide medical information and services” (p 483).3 Technically, this encompasses all aspects of medicine practiced at a distance, including use of telephone, fax, and electronic mail technology, as well as the use of interactive full-motion integrated video and audio, that brings together patients and providers separated by distance.4 In the early part of the twentieth century, electrocardiograms and electroencephalograms were transmitted over ordinary analogue telephone lines, and in 1920, medical advice service for sea craft via Morse code and voice radio was established. Expensive and cumbersome 2-way closed-circuit television systems used in the 1960s to transmit radiographs and evaluate patients have been replaced by low-cost, personal computer–based solutions for videoconferencing and transmission of physiological data from clinics or patient homes or from inaccessible sites such as ships, aircraft, and geographically remote regions.5 Telemedicine has been proposed as an alternative means of managing many different diseases and …

Effect of wavelet compression on data transmission in a multipurpose wireless telemedicine system.

We have developed a novel emergency telemedicine system which allows the transmission of physiological data (electrocardiogram, oximetry, blood pressure and temperature) and still images of the patient. The transmission is performed through wireless links using either GSM mobile phones or satellite. Because of the low bandwidth available through these links, data compression is required to allow realtime transmission of electrocardiographic (ECG) data. A new integrated design approach for an optimal zonal wavelet compression (OZWC) method was implemented for the ECG data. The performance of the mobile system with compressed ECG data segments was evaluated in terms of the percentage root-mean-square difference and visual inspection. The optimum wavelet algorithm achieved a maximum compression ratio of 18:1 with low distortion.

Letter: Health communication in Alaska.

To the Editor.— Your speculations about physician's assistants and satellite communications in sparsely populated Alaska (227:935, 1974) read like a description of an experimental program that the National Library of Medicine and the Indian Health Service have sponsored for the past three years, as well as a blueprint for its planned expansion later this year. Since June 1971, native health aides in 26 remote villages in Alaska have had regular daily voice contact, via the ATS-1 satellite, with an Indian Health Service field hospital in Tanana. This has proved a vast improvement over regular high-frequency radio communication which, because of terrain and atmospheric disturbances, is unreliable in those parts. The experimental satellite system has been credited with saving several lives. A National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellite to be launched later this year, the ATS-F, will allow two-way video and physiological data transmission at certain sites in Alaska, in addition

Endoradiosonde techniques—A survey

A survey is given of endoradiosonde techniques, which are employed for wireless transmission of physiological data from inaccessible body cavities. The advantage of the method is that no tubes or wires are needed between the data transducer inside the body and the recording equipment outside it. Detailed descriptions have been published of endoradiosondes sensitive to temperature, pressure and pH. Other data that can be telemetered by such miniaturized radio transmitters are: partial pressures of carbon dioxide and oxygen, chloride ion concentration, enzyme activity, bioelectric potentials and intensity of ionizing radiation. Endoradiosondes have been used for examinations of the entire gastrointestinal tract. Surgically implanted endoradiosondes have great applicability in experimental physiology and pharmacology since measurements can be made for months on unrestrained and unanaesthetized animals.

Lunar Surface Suit Telemetry and Voice Communications

When an extra-vehicular suited astronaut steps onto the hostile environment of the lunar surface, he is essentially operating in his own personal spacecraft - the extra-vehicular suit system. The primary function of this system is of course, life support, but at least secondary in importance is the communications link with the lunar spacecraft and earth. Another function supplied by the system is suit telemetry to safeguard the astronaut's well being, as observed by monitors on earth. This includes the transmission of physiological data as well as suit environmental and performance data. The latter includes such things as suit pressure and the amount of oxygen remaining in the suit system. This paper describes the two functions of voice communications and suit telemetry. It includes functional requirements of the communication system which encompass range, relay links, and redundant modes. Design considerations are also briefly covered including past development work leading to the present prototype system. The paper also describes some of the hardware implementation problems including suit antenna considerations.