Optical sensor system for continuous non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring in real-time

Non-invasive and continuous accurate monitoring of a patients cardiovascular system can help to assure the early detection of potential abnormalities and trigger a prompt hemodynamic assessment. Such an assessment system is possible due to current advances in optical spectroscopy and signal processing. This paper presents a novel optical sensor system which facilitates the real-time monitoring of the standard pulse oximetry parameters and additionally the total haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, cardiac output and other important parameter. New algorithms were tested on 48 patients in a clinical environment. The sensor system enables painless hemodynamic patient monitoring with applications both in clinical settings and in home health care.