Chest Based Pulse Oximetry Device

Pulse oximetry is a simple non-invasive method of monitoring the percentage of haemoglobin
(Hb) which is saturated with oxygen.
“Widely accepted as the "fifth vital sign" (after pulse rate, heart waveforms, blood pressure
and temperature), pulse oximetry provides a fast, accurate and non-invasive measure of a
patient’s arterial oxygen saturation levels and is now considered standard-of-care in the
healthcare industry” (Frost and Sullivan)
The Chest Oximetry Device project is to develop a chest-based method of measuring Pulse-
Oximetry ie the amount of oxygen in the blood. Pulse-Oximetry is a major vital sign
extensively used by doctors, but currently requiring a sensor on the finger or ear. The
proposed Chest Oximetry Patch will be unobtrusively worn on the chest allowing continuous
monitoring - even in the home.
The result of the project is intended to be a small, lightweight wireless based unit which clips
onto a patch sensor on the chest. Changes in oxygen saturation in the patient’s blood would be
constantly monitored and relayed to the clinician.
There is rising pressure on health services worldwide as changing demographics raise the
ratio of elderly people to those of working age. Technology is seen as a major part of the
answer to this, with treatment and especially monitoring being moved out of hospitals and
into the home. The Chest Oximetry Device will allow a major vital sign to be monitored more
conveniently in hospital and in the home and when incorporated with wireless sensors for
ECG, heart rate, respiration rate, body temperature, orientation and activity this Chest
Oximetry Device will lead to an increased level of care in the home, reduced hospital costs as
well as a reductions in the associated costs and inconvenience of attending hospital. This onbody,
continuous monitoring will provide early indication of respiratory depression and be of
use in identification and analysis of many other medical conditions.