Smartwatches connect intensive care doctors and their patients

Researchers have come up with a way to link a smartwatch to the metabolic monitors used with patients in intensive care. If the sensors - which were developed at EPFL - detect an anomaly, the doctor on duty receives an alert anywhere in the hospital. Intensive care doctors may soon be able to wear a smartwatch connected to the system that keeps tabs on the vital parameters of patients in the intensive care unit. If the patients' readings - which are monitored in real time and stored on a central server - reach a dangerous level, an alert is sent directly to the doctor's wrist via WiFi. The patient's name and readings appear on the watch, so the doctor can react quickly and precisely. This application is the second step in a comprehensive monitoring system developed by EPFL's Integrated Systems Laboratory (LSI). It began with the creation of a miniaturized microfluidic device that allows medical staff to monitor patients' critical blood levels.