Preliminary evaluation of the use of a CDMA-based emergency telemedicine system.
We have conducted a preliminary evaluation of the use of a code division multiple access (CDMA)-based emergency telemedicine system to be used by emergency rescuers providing first-aid treatment for patients. The prototype system included five instrumentation modules for measuring non-invasive arterial blood pressure (NIBP), arterial oxygen saturation (SpO(2)), six-channel electrocardiogram (ECG), blood glucose concentration and body temperature. The patient data were transferred to a doctor's PC through CDMA and TCP/IP networks using an embedded personal digital assistant (PDA) phone. Performance tests in the laboratory showed that the system provided reliable values with error ranges within +/-1% for heart rate, +/-5 mmHg for NIBP, +/-2% for SpO(2) and +/-1% for glucose. The feasibility of the prototype system was then evaluated with 15 real emergency patients on Jeju Island over a two-month period. Measured data were transmitted from a moving ambulance to the emergency medical centre without significant CDMA connection loss or transmission errors. The average transfer time was 8 min. Four emergency doctors and 11 rescuers completed a questionnaire. There were favourable reviews from the users.
Kang
Jaemin
J
Interdisciplinary Program-Biomedical Engineering Major, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
Chun
Honggu
H
Shin
Il Hyung
IH
Shin
Sang Do
SD
Suh
Gil Joon
GJ
Kim
Hee Chan
HC
D040421:Cell Phone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000592:standards; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000379:methods*