Devices such as DSPs and accelerometers make home monitoring devices possible

Figure 1. Analog Devices’ ADXL311 accelerometer enables the PocketCPR device

The device provides rescuers with audio and visual feedback by measuring the depth of chest compressions, so they can adjust to the appropriate depth and correct rate. The product can also guide relatively inexperienced rescuers to help them build confidence, and can also assist experienced caregivers with appropriate techniques. PocketCPR uses ADI's ADXL311 accelerometer, which can accurately measure the movement of PocketCPR under the rescuer's palm.

FallSaver, shown in Figure 2, is simpler and can be used for patients who cannot walk without help. Whether in a hospital, at home or in a nursing home, it is impossible for caregivers to monitor bedridden patients all the time. Patients may choose to get up and walk without caregivers because they suffer from dementia or do not want to trouble caregivers, which often leads to falls due to physical weakness.

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小小的FallSaver贴片可贴在病人的大腿上，在长达两周的时间内对病人的运动提供持续监测，特别是确定那些试图站立和走动的动作。 FallSaver单元会发出报警声并发送无线电信号给护士呼叫站或看护人员携带的电台，以便看护人员将能在病人摔倒前赶到床边协助其移动。这是临床试验中被证明在这一高风险人群中能显著降低摔倒和摔倒引起的伤病的设备。

Figure 2 FallSaver

FallSaver also uses the ADXL323 and ADX-L335 accelerometers, which provide motion information in a digital format, enabling fast algorithmic analysis of motion patterns. In addition to the accelerometers mentioned above, the next generation of triaxial accelerometers, such as ADI's ADXL345 and ADXL346, can provide high levels of functionality at lower power consumption and smaller size.

Two key issues for future home healthcare devices are connectivity and power. In many cases, it is just as important to provide accurate clinical readings from diagnostic equipment to healthcare professionals as it is to provide them to patients for self-care. For example, diabetes management. Another example is that current ECG (electrocardiogram) waveforms can be printed out or sent via electronic communication to provide information to clinicians.

In the past, to achieve this function, ECG instruments needed to be connected directly to the computer, which put the patient at potential risk of electric shock. ADI's recently launched ADuM4160 USB isolator can overcome this problem, providing complete electrical isolation between the patient and the computer and network, while still supporting the full functionality of the ECG and maintaining a connection to the computer.

The measurement front end also requires a small amount of power to drive the amplifiers and data converters used to acquire and digitize the ECG signal. Isolated power is provided by the AD? ZM5000 DC-DC converter, which eliminates the need for battery charging and replacement. Such devices can also be used in the design of many home healthcare devices that require direct electrical contact with the patient, and they also have the ability to connect directly to a computer via USB, providing full functionality for storage, analysis and result transfer. These technologies make it easier for medical device designers to meet the latest IEC60601 requirements.

Semiconductor companies are improving the quality of healthcare for patients around the world by developing innovative ICs. Design engineers who create the latest home healthcare systems are working hard to invent life-changing products based on semiconductor devices for disease management, health care and drug delivery.

Many advances in semiconductor technology in portable and home healthcare products have borrowed from major advances in other portable consumer products, such as mobile phones and media players. This is especially true in the areas of power management, motion detection and RF transmission. However, expertise in precision signal amplification, conversion and processing remains important for detecting and analyzing low-level, complex clinical information.

These developments are also supported, promoted and certified by the Continua Health Alliance, a non-profit, open industry alliance of the best healthcare and technology companies to improve the quality of personal healthcare. Continua has more than 200 member companies around the world committed to building an interoperable system of personal health solutions, using knowledge to extend those solutions to the home, thereby cultivating independent, autonomous personal healthcare capabilities and providing truly personalized health and wellness management opportunities. The Continua Health Alliance is also establishing design standards and providing certification for those standards to build trust for healthcare providers and consumers when they choose and use the devices provided by these projects. The growing demand for home medical devices has made the requirements for systems increasingly complex, requiring medical device designers to reduce size, improve ease of use, and improve the performance of the next generation of portable medical devices. These new system-level requirements mean that analog semiconductor manufacturers must meet the challenge and develop breakthrough module ICs to make the design of the next generation of products possible. The focus of design development is on how to develop future innovative features of medical devices, which increasingly depends on the continuous and effective sharing of information between system and analog IC designers.