Suggested Topics For Diploma Theses
(Independent Studies)

in

Telemedicine

Implementation of an ECG station

This section includes the development of a portable station for ECG (ElectroCardioGram) acquisition, storage, transmition, teleconferencing and telemonitoring. The main objective is the connection of two or more such stations over an ordinary telephone network. In this way a great help is given to patients located at remote or isolated areas, like small islands, with insufficient health care services, to get appropriate and experienced medical care directly from large Central Hospitals. Serial communications and Real-time systems are being studied. The platforms being in use are MS-DOS, MS-Windows 3.1, MS-Windows95, MS-Windows NT. Unix is planned to be the next platform to be adopted. Real-time communications over TCP/IP is one of the current, highly interresting, subjects of the project. Cellular communications over GSM networks is also a very atractive topic.

Proposed Theses

• Implementation of an ECG station under Unix operating system.

  The project includes:
  
  Serial communications under Unix data transfer and real-time communications over TCP/IP communications over TCP/IP, with the telephone network, using simulation protocols like PPP or SLIP.
  Data-base management under Unix
  GUI and graphics output on screen and laser printer

  The station must be capable of offering ECG acquisition, storage, transmition, teleconferencing and telemonitoring services over a telephone network. Most parts of this project have already been implemented on other platforms, like MS-DOS or MS-Windows. The objective is the transportation of the already written parts to the Unix platform. The code is written in C, therefore it would not be difficult to transfer the system from one platform to another.
  (2 persons)
  

• Extention of the Windows95 operating system.

  The project includes:
  
  Serial communications under Windows95
  Data transfer and real-time communications over TCP/IP
  Communications over TCP/IP, with the telephone network using simulation protocols like PPP or SLIP.
  Data-base management under Windows95
  GUI and graphics output on screen and laser printer

  The station must be capable of offering ECG acquisition, storage, transmition, teleconferencing and telemonitoring services over a telephone network. Most of this work has been implemented. The main target is the addition of new features on the already exist sustem like:
  i) simultaneous on-line transmition of more ECG leads (i.e.3,6,9,12 leads). The current version offers only one lead on-line transmition.
  ii) reliable SLIP or PPP conections for on-line transmitions. The current system have not been tested enough. A performance evaluation and a documentation of the new extented system is needed.
  iii) better operability and more user friently User Interface
  iv) DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) output format and interconection capabilities.
  v) compatibility with more digital ECG recorder instruments
  vi) compatibility with AD converter currently under developement. (1 person)

Information:

Professor G. Papakonstantinou
CS Building, tel: 772-2494
e-mail: papakon@cs.ece.ntua.gr

Agelos Thanos
B Building, 7721529-32
e-mail: thanos@dsclab.ntua.gr