Abstract:
Cardiac arrest remains a leading cause of mortality both globally and in Uganda, where limited
healthcare resources, delayed emergency response, and insufficient monitoring contribute to high
fatality rates. This project proposes the design and implementation of an IoT-based cardiac arrest
patient monitoring and alert system aimed at improving real-time detection and response to
cardiac emergencies in hospitals. Cardiac arrest, characterized by the abrupt cessation of heart
function, requires immediate medical intervention to prevent irreversible organ damage or death.
In many Ugandan hospitals, particularly government-run facilities, timely medical response is
often hindered by staff shortages, communication delays, and the absence of continuous
monitoring systems.
This system integrates biomedical sensors, ECG (AD8232), blood pressure, pulse rate and oxygen
saturation sensors (MAX30100/MAX30102) with an ESP32 microcontroller and a SIM800C
GSM module for wireless communication. It enables real-time monitoring of patients' vital signs
and automatically sends SMS alerts to medical personnel when abnormalities are detected,
including when a patient’s condition deteriorates suddenly or an emergency button is pressed. The
solution is designed to be non-invasive, compact, and cost-effective, making it suitable for
deployment in resource-constrained healthcare settings.
The project follows a systematic methodology: identifying user and technical requirements,
designing hardware and software components, integrating the system, and validating its
effectiveness through testing. Focused primarily on hospitalized cardiac arrest patients, the system
aims to reduce emergency response time and improve patient outcomes. This research has the
potential to bridge critical gaps in emergency cardiac care in Uganda and contribute to broader
efforts to modernize patient monitoring and enhance public health infrastructure.
