An intelligent remote monitoring system for artificial heart.

A web-based database system for intelligent remote monitoring of an artificial heart has been developed. It is important for patients with an artificial heart implant to be discharged from the hospital after an appropriate stabilization period for better recovery and quality of life. Reliable continuous remote monitoring systems for these patients with life support devices are gaining practical meaning. The authors have developed a remote monitoring system for this purpose that consists of a portable/desktop monitoring terminal, a database for continuous recording of patient and device status, a web-based data access system with which clinicians can access real-time patient and device status data and past history data, and an intelligent diagnosis algorithm module that noninvasively estimates blood pump output and makes automatic classification of the device status. The system has been tested with data generation emulators installed on remote sites for simulation study, and in two cases of animal experiments conducted at remote facilities. The system showed acceptable functionality and reliability. The intelligence algorithm also showed acceptable practicality in an application to animal experiment data.