PGIMER docs monitor Covid-19 patients remotely through system built in-house

The system collects data from multiple devices – mainly vital sign monitors – the patient is hooked up to. The information can be checked from remote locations through mobile phones or computers and doctors alerted in case of a problem.

Doctors at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research Chandigarh (PGIMER) have started using a system built in-house to remotely monitor their Covid-19 patients.

Currently patients admitted at the intensive care unit of PGIMER are being monitored by senior doctors from remote locations, either in office or at home and even during the administrative meetings. (HT)

The system collects data from multiple devices – mainly vital sign monitors – the patient is hooked up to. The information can be checked from remote locations through mobile phones or computers and doctors alerted in case of a problem.

Monitoring oxygen saturation levels of Covid-19 is vital because the disease affects the lungs, says Dr GD Puri, dean (academics) and head of the anaesthesia department. In case oxygen levels drop below dangerous levels doctors will be alerted at once through any of their devices. Real time values of heart rate, blood pressure and temperature of the patient being monitored are also transmitted to remote devices.

Currently patients admitted at the intensive care unit of PGIMER are being monitored by senior doctors from remote locations, either in office or at home and even during the administrative meetings. “With this system we guide the team of resident doctors, nurses and technicians who constantly monitor the patients in the units. A record of patient history is also maintained,” Dr Puri adds.

The idea is to create different levels of controls using technology. “We can even monitor the patients using CCTVs. However, we do not beam it directly to our mobile phones due to privacy concerns, so we have created a base in the Covid-19 Centre for all-round monitoring.”