Virtual Instrumentation based Prototype for Evaluation of the Cardiac Systolic Function

This paper presents a Virtual Instrumentation (VI) based prototype designed to evaluate systolic parameters resulting from the calculation of the Blumberger hemodynamic index (BHI) and the ejection fraction of the left ventricle (FEJ). In accordance with the available results, one can assess the cardiovascular activity of the patient. The proposed prototype includes integrated hardware and software, it is low-cost, noninvasive, and graphical user-friendly. Real-time cardiovascular signals representing the electrocardiographic derivation, the phonocardiogram and the peripheral photoplestismogram, are sampled using dedicated sensors, customized signal conditioning and an Arduino Uno device. Collected data is sent to a National Instruments' LabVIEW
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application. An important feature of the proposed application allows the user to dynamically set measurement cursor limits by scrolling over the acquired waveforms plots. At the same time, calculation results are displayed, providing the means to perform an initial evaluation of the cardiovascular pathology. Functionality tests, performed with the help of several persons, confirm that the proposed system was properly designed and implemented. Consequently, it can become a suitable evaluation device in a family doctor or general medicine office, where the usage of professional equipment is not mandatory. This solution is also viable for educational purposes, especially in the case of medical instrumentation related subjects.