E-Health Monitoring by Smart Pulse Oximeter Systems Integrated in SDU

This paper presents the software and hardware architecture of the e-health smart pulse oximeter system integrated into SDU (Seat Display Unit) for passengers’ surveillance in-flight. The purpose of the smart system comes from the knowledge that during the flight, the inside cab conditions, such as low pressure, lack of oxygen and low humidity are risk factors in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (BPOC), cardiovascular diseases, venous thrombosis, asthma, lung emphysema, surgical operations suffered recently, epilepsy, diabetes, mental diseases and infectious diseases. Monitoring of oxygen levels in the blood and pulse rate during the phases such as takeoff/flight/landing might provide valuable information on the health status of passengers and subsequently, this information could be used in the medical field to make recommendations to patients who have specific ailments and to travel by air. According to recent studies, during the flight cabins are pressurized to 75% of normal atmospheric pressure and low levels of oxygen in the blood may lead to hypoxia, a deficiency in the quantity of oxygen to reach the tissues. Moreover, the reduced pressure in the cab and lack of oxygen may endanger the life of the patients that suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (BPOC).