RF-Free infant ECG monitoring: Performance and signal quality assessment.

Existing Electrocardiogram (ECG) systems are either wired or based on radiofrequency (RF) wireless devices when remote transmission is needed. However, the use of radiofrequencies has limitations especially for sensitive populations such as newborns and infants. In addition, due to electromagnetic interference problems, impairments in the RF transmission of the ECG signal can lead to diagnostic errors. To answer these problems, we propose in this article, an optical wireless monitoring system, using an infrared link between an ECG sensor placed on a baby's chest and receivers placed on the ceiling of a pediatric room. In addition, it is assumed that the infant can move around in his bed. Our main contribution is the evaluation of the quality of the ECG signal transmitted by the proposed system, in terms of classic Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and Bit Error Rate (BER) metrics but also in terms of Signal Quality Indexes (SQIs) calculated from the characteristics of the received ECG signal. Results show the ability to perform wireless infant ECG monitoring using the Optical Wireless Communication (OWC) with satisfactory quality for optimum power.