Open source plethysmographic application for monitoring of cardiovascular parameters

This article introduces new and self-developed software based on photoplethysmographic methods which relies on the functions of the versatile, EDAQ530 sensor-to-USB interface. It offers monitoring of not only raw data obtained with finger photoplethysmography but also the markers relevant in ECG analysis derived from this data including instantaneous heart rate, heart rate variability and more. It can monitor the effects of physical exercise, stress, drugs over time, enabling us to perform exploratory measurements before more extensive research, correct measurements in real time or do demonstrations. Since the program (http://www.gamfelektro.hu/plethysmo) and the hardware documentation (http://www.inf.u-szeged.hu/noise/edudev/EDAQ530) are open source and freely available, it has the potential of becoming a significant tool in education and research.