A knowledge based home monitoring system for management and rehabilitation of cardiovascular patients

A "managed care" model (prevention, diagnosis, therapy, admission, home assistance) has been realized to permit both a continuous patients check without hospitalization and a patients data archiving. An hardware and software architecture has been designed to manage the out-of-hospital treatments of patients with a moderate cardiovascular risk; as all the sensors built are wearable the cardio respiratory recording may have place during patients exercise program. Transmitted by wireless ECG has been automatically processed by "windows media center" through a multi parametric approach based on time and frequency (linear and non linear analysis) domain study. Advanced characteristics have been utilized by this monitoring prototype and different technologies, such as data acquisition, elaboration, on line transmission and Web-based data storage, have been integrated for knowledge management; in this way it is possible not only data real time visualization and collection but also a continuous patients management useful to improve life quality