Telecardiology for effective healthcare services

Continuous monitoring of the electrocardiogram (ECG) and other signals related to current heart activity are necessary for patients who are suffering from cardiac diseases. This paper deals with the work that has been carried out to transmit ECGs from remote sites. Software has been developed which enables the uploading of ECG data from a patient so that the physician can monitor the state of the patient from a distance and at the same time may consult other experts for a second opinion. Records can only be examined by the authorized physician after proper registration and diagnosis or prescription may be sent back to the referring site. Further consultation with the patient through a 'chat' facility is also possible. The suitability of the system over transport control protocol (TCP), internet protocol (IP), local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN) and World Wide Web (WWW) has been assessed. The bandwidth, latency, availability, security and ubiquity have also been discussed. A study has also been undertaken in order to make the system compatible with available bandwidths and to find out which one out of a number of available techniques is most efficient for ECG data compression. The results indicate that the scheme is suitable for telecardiology and can form part of an overall telemedicine system in a health care network.