Proposal of a PPG Transducer for Monitoring Vital Signals of Patients in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Programs

The purpose of monitoring vital signals on patients in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is to quickly obtain relevant information for therapeutical decisions. During the patient's locomotion, however, such measurement could be less efficient, due to motion artifacts that distorts the signal and usually difficult its recovery. This study deals with the development of a photoplethysmographic (PPG) transducer for telemetry of vital signals of patients engaged in physical exercise. The transducer will have small mass and reduced dimensions, making it less susceptible to moving artifacts. The transducer will allow the acquisition of multiple PPG signals. A transmission station communicates by radiofrequency, relaying the PPG signals to a radio-base station attached to a computer. The software receives, stores and analyzes this data, and still allows the monitoring of several patients simultaneously. Thus, the monitoring of these signals can provide essential information regarding heart rate, oxygen saturation, noninvasive blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmias. This system is used, for example, during a session of cardiovascular rehabilitation in which the patients exercise, walking, light trotting and light racing, and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation programs at pre-operatory stage, post-operatory stage and even profilatically.