Web-based monitoring of real-time ECG data

Abstract

A system, which enables the live broadcast of ECG signals over the Internet, was developed. This system consists of 3 parts: a portable Holter device to capture the ECG data, a browser-based Java applet, which displays the data, and a server application, that coordinates the information broadcast. A prototype of the holter, about the size of a cellular phone, was developed as a separate part of the project. It is capable of transmitting real-time ECG data via a wireless link to a computer. A Java applet on the computer receives the transmitted data, and sends an encrypted version of it to the server. The server then multicasts the ECG data to all registered client applets on the Internet. The patient identifier included with the source data is used to retrieve pertinent patient information from a database. This information is sent to the clients as well. The system was successfully implemented, and was capable of displaying the ECG signals on a variety of computing platforms and browsers.