Real-time monitoring of ubiquitous wireless ECG sensor node for medical care using ZigBee

Sensor networks have the potential to impact many aspects of medical care greatly. By outfitting patients with wireless, wearable vital sign sensors, collecting detailed real-time data on physiological status can be greatly simplified. In this article, we propose the system architecture for smart sensor platform based on advanced wireless sensor networks. An emerging application for wireless sensor networks involves their use in medical care. In hospitals or clinics, outfitting every patient with tiny, wearable wireless vital sign sensors would allow doctors, nurses and other caregivers to continuously monitor the status of their patients. In an emergency or disaster scenario, the same technology would enable medics to more effectively care for a large number of casualties. First responders could receive immediate notifications on any changes in patient status, such as respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. Wireless sensor network is a set of small, autonomous devices, working together to solve different problems. It is a relatively new technology, experiencing true expansion in the past decade. People have realised that integration of small and cheap microcontrollers with sensors can result in the production of extremely useful devices, which can be used as an integral part of the sensor nets. These devices are called sensor nodes. Today, sensor nets are used in agriculture, ecology and tourism, but medicine is the area where they certainly meet the greatest potential. This article presents a medical smart sensor node platform. This article proposes a wireless two-lead EKG. These devices collect heart rate and EKG data and relay it over a short-range (300 m) wireless network to any number of receiving devices, including PDAs, laptops or ambulance-based terminals.