Abstract

Patients with heart problems who are prescribed the use of an Holter monitor for long duration examination had increased difficulties during the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic and where faced with the antagonistic decision of going to the hospital to get the exam as needed or avoiding contacts, as any person in a risk group should do. This work presents a proposal for remote health monitoring of patients that need access to a Holter monitor, but simultaneously need to reduce contacts and traveling between sites. This includes two main blocks: the system infrastructure architecture that allows data to be exchanged and visualized through the WiFi network and the Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal acquisition module. The system as a whole achieves its main goal of helping patients proceed with the prescribed ECG long-term monitoring examination while reducing the number of commutes, which is very important during the pandemic, as these patients belong to the higher risk group. Also, it gives doctors a tool that provides extra information for a better tele-consultation.

Keywords: E-Health; Heart failure; IoT; Remote sensing

Abbreviations: ECG: Electrocardiogram; M2M: Machine-To-Machine; IT: Information Technology; OCF: Open Connectivity Foundation; TIA: Telecommunication Industry Association; ETSI: European Telecommunications Standards Institute