According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 659,000 people in the U.S. die from heart disease every year. This means that one in every four deaths results from heart disease. Such shocking statistics show the dangers associated with heart disease. Unfortunately, many people don’t know they have heart problems until they have an attack. Many times, these sudden attacks lead to death or paralysis. Early discovery of heart problems can help to reduce deaths from heart disease. The use of Internet of Things (IoT) monitoring devices could be the solution.

'IoT technologies will advance with time and help reduce deaths resulting from heart disease. However, people still need to take preventive measures take an active role in their health.' - Olajide Adams

One of the fundamental ways of detecting heart disease is by monitoring the heart rate. When it becomes abnormal or irregular, one can easily run a check to see the cause and take the necessary preventive measures or treatments. Let’s discuss how IoT monitoring devices aid with the early detection of heart attacks, therefore increasing the chances of survival.

IoT: A Brief Explanation

IoT is a concept that involves a computerized network of physical objects interacting with the external environment or other devices via embedded technologies. It is a fully automated network of systems and devices connected to a wireless network. The IoT concept works on the assumption of a machine-to-machine interaction with very little human input. One doesn’t have to look too far to see the concept’s use in everyday living.

Security systems, manufacturing industries, transport, retail trade, and household appliances gradually adopt the technology. However, we are going to focus on the technology’s medical use, especially for detecting heart disease.

IoT and Heart Disease: The Technology That Can Help

The world is ever-changing. People hustle to make ends meet and may forget about their health and well-being. Most health issues that lead to death are actually preventable if detected early. Heart disease is one such health problem that people don’t deal with until too late. However, IoT can help curb the problem. Tools based on the IoT concept can recognize heart failure long before it occurs. Luckily, there are technological tools that employ IoT to monitor heart health. Let’s explore three such tools:

#1: The Heartbeat Sensor

During the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Smart Cities & Application (ICAISC 2020), Suchitra Giri et al. presented a paper titled, “IoT Based Heart Attack Detection & Heart Rate Monitoring System.” They recommended a framework that recognizes heart failure by checking the pulse dependent on IoT. Giri and co. introduced the heartbeat sensor, a device that comes in numerous shapes and estimates and permits an instant heartbeat measurement.

According to the paper, the sensors are square measure accessible in smartwatches, sensible phones, chest traps, etc. The device measures the heartbeat in beats per minute, noting the number of times the heart contracts and expands in a minute. It is comprised of a sensor and a control circuit. The sensor has an IR LED and a photodiode set in a clasp, while the control circuit includes an Amp IC that associates the sign to a Microcontroller.

The sensor works to detect the pulses and reads them as information signals. The microcontroller handles the read information and transmits it to the WiFi module. Afterward, web servers receive the relayed information for additional examination and analysis. Preparation of the examined and analyzed information follows, after which it is progressively put away with a date and time stamp. Giri and his team proposed that if their innovation can grow, it will help to recognize heart blockage and eventually save more lives.

#2: An IoT-Based Heart Disease Monitoring System

In September 2017, Chao Li, Xiangpei Hu, and Lili Zhang presented a paper at the International Conference on Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information and Engineering Systems, KES2017, in Marseille, France. In the presentation titled, “The IoT-based heart disease monitoring system for pervasive healthcare service,” they said IoT techniques have overwhelming superiority in solving heart disease problems. In addition, Chao and co. said IoT could change the service model into a pervasive way, triggering the healthcare service based on patients’ physical status rather than their feelings.

Chao et al. proposed a monitoring system capable of sending patients’ physical signs to remote medical applications in real-time. The system will comprise of two parts:

1. Data acquisition
2. Data transmission

The data acquisition’s key point is the monitoring scheme comprising each parameter’s monitoring parameters and frequency. It was designed by the team after interviewing medical experts. If the monitoring system is successful, it will sample physical signs like blood pressure, ECG, Sp02, pulse rate, heart rate, blood glucose, and blood flat. In addition, it will sample environmental indicators like a patient’s location. The monitoring system will perform this sampling continuously at different rates.

#3: Smart Heart Disease Prediction System With IoT and Fog Computing

K. Butchi Raju, Suresh Dara, Ankit Vidyarthi, V. Gupta, and Baseem Khan proposed a smart heart disease prediction system aided by IoT and Fog computing. Their proposed model is an integration of Edge-Fog-Cloud computing for the precise and quick delivery of outcomes. The model gathered information from several hardware instruments.
Raju and co. concluded that the smart healthcare model with IoT-assisted fog computing has a promising performance.

They project that the model can have advanced usage in the future with improved algorithms and optimization to improve efficiency in predicting and diagnosing heart disease. The model is also usable in real-time applications.
More IoT-based heart monitoring systems are likely to emerge in the near future. These technologies are welcome and will surely help in combating heart disease.

Preventive Measures for Heart Disease

Although the emergence of IoT promises a bright future for heart disease prevention, it is good to take measures to prevent heart failure. For instance, people should take preventive measures for shortness of breath and other indicators of heart disease. In addition to these preventive measures, here are some other actions to take in order to curb heart disease:

• Eat healthy food
• Exercise regularly
• Limit alcohol intake
• Manage diabetes
• Get enough sleep
• Avoid smoking
• Maintain healthy weight
• Control cholesterol and triglyceride levels
• Control blood pressure

Embracing IoT in Healthcare

The Internet of Things is a welcome advanced technological tool. It is applicable in almost all spheres of life, including healthcare. There are already several suggested methods and IoT-backed technologies that monitor heart health. These include heartbeat sensors, heart disease monitoring systems, and smart heart disease predictions systems. There is no doubt that these technologies will advance with time and help reduce deaths resulting from heart disease. However, people still need to take preventive measures and an active role in their health.Author

Olajide Adams