Vital signs can now be monitored by radar

A radar system developed at the University of Waterloo can wirelessly monitor the vital signs of patients, eliminating the need to plug them into any machine.

Housed in a device smaller than a mobile phone, the new technology records heart rate and respiratory rate using responsive radar waves, badyzed by sophisticated algorithms embedded in a signal processing unit embedded digital.

Researchers have developed a system to monitor patients with sleep apnea by detecting subtle chest movements instead of connecting them to lab equipment via numerous bulky cables.

"We are taking the whole complex process and making it completely wireless," said George Shaker, professor of engineering at Waterloo. "And instead of a clinic, this could be done in the comfort of your bed and run daily for continuous monitoring."

In a study conducted at the Institute for Research on Aging, a single institution affiliated with the university, the radar unit was mounted to the ceiling above the bed of more than 50 volunteers then that they normally slept in a model long-term care apartment.

The system, which collects and badyzes radar wave data returned to the unit by the patient's body, has achieved results as accurate as 90% of those of standard hardwired equipment.

"This is the first time that radar has been used for cardiac detection with this degree of accuracy and in such an uncontrolled environment," said Mostafa Alizadeh, research badociate who led the study. "Our subjects slept unobstructed, regardless of their position, until eight o'clock."

Researchers are also studying the use of technology to monitor the activity levels and falls of residents of long-term care homes and hospitals for routine monitoring of heart and respiratory rate of all kinds of patients.

The benefits of the Apnea monitoring system include total privacy, since no cameras are used, significantly improved comfort and potential use at home rather than special sleep clinics.

"With traditional systems including son and booked appointments weeks in advance, you can not sleep like you normally do at home, which makes sleep study an experience unpleasant, "said Shaker, professor of computer engineering and mechanical engineering and mechatronics.

In addition to sleep apnea, which involves breathing that stops and stops repeatedly, the system can monitor conditions such as periodic limb movement disorder, restless legs syndrome and convulsions.