CARDIAC MONITORING WEARABLE

Project Context

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare facilities faced unprecedented challenges, including staff shortages and the need to minimize contact with infected patients. This project was initiated to address these challenges by developing a wearable device that could continuously monitor vital signs while reducing the need for frequent in-person checks.

Design Challenges

• • Creating a comfortable wearable that could be worn continuously for extended periods
• • Ensuring accurate sensor placement and readings despite patient movement
• • Designing for easy sanitization between patient uses
• • Developing a form factor that wouldn't interfere with other medical equipment
• • Creating an intuitive interface for healthcare workers under stress
• • Ensuring reliable wireless data transmission in hospital environments

Design Process

The design process involved extensive research with healthcare providers, multiple prototyping iterations, and rigorous testing. I developed form factor prototypes to test wearability, comfort, and sensor placement, working closely with the engineering team to ensure the design could be manufactured efficiently while maintaining quality.

Technical Features

• • Continuous monitoring of heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, and temperature
• • Wireless data transmission to central monitoring stations
• • Alert system for abnormal vital sign readings
• • Design optimized for using off the shelf batteries
• • Medical-grade materials suitable for sanitization between uses
• • Adjustable fit system to accommodate different patient body types, gender and clothing
• • Low-profile design to minimize interference with patient comfort and other medical equipment
• • Color-coded electrode leads for easy identification and connection by healthcare staff

System Architecture

The Padma VitalsTM monitoring system was designed as a complete ecosystem for remote patient monitoring across various healthcare settings. The architecture enables seamless data flow from patients to healthcare providers, regardless of location.

Deployment Flexibility

• • Hospital Settings: Designed for step-down ICU and general wards to extend monitoring capabilities without requiring intensive care resources
• • Primary Health Centers: Enables rural and underserved facilities to provide advanced cardiac monitoring with remote specialist support
• • Remote Camps: Supports medical teams in field hospitals, disaster response, or temporary healthcare facilities
• • Home Care: Allows patients to be monitored in their homes, reducing hospital stays while maintaining clinical oversight
• • Ambulance Integration: Provides real-time vital sign transmission during patient transport, allowing receiving facilities to prepare based on live data

Cloud-Based Infrastructure

The system utilizes secure cloud infrastructure to process, analyze, and store patient data. This architecture enables real-time monitoring at central facilities while simultaneously allowing specialists to access data remotely through dedicated applications. The cloud system includes automated alerting algorithms that can detect concerning patterns and notify healthcare providers immediately, even when they're not actively monitoring the dashboard.

Impact & Outcomes

With funding secured from the India Startup Fund, we were able to develop and deploy 100 wearable units for COVID-19 patient monitoring in hospitals. The project reduced the frequency of in-person vital sign checks, enabled earlier intervention for patients experiencing deterioration, and received patent approval for the novel wearability and detection of vitals.

Collaborators