International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)

ISSN: 2249-8958, Volume-8 Issue-5, June 2019

IoT based system for Heart Rate Monitoring and

Heart Attack Detection
TV Sethuraman, Kartik Singh Rathore, Amritha G, Kanimozhi G
 systole. The tricuspid and mitral valves are closed tightly to
Abstract :Heart rate monitoring is a vital aspect of maintaining prevent the backflow of blood; the pulmonary and aortic
heart health. People from different age groups have different valves are opened. Once the blood moves from the pulmonary
ranges for maximum and minimum values of heart rate, the
monitoring system must be compatible enough to tackle this
artery and aorta the ventricles relax and the pulmonary and
scenario. In this paper, an IoT based system has been aortic valves close. Tricuspid and mitral valves open because
implemented that can monitor the heartbeat from the output given of the lower pressure from the ventricles leading to the start of
by a hardware system consisting of a NodeMCU and pulse sensor. another cycle. In today's scenario, health problems related to
Further, an alert system is added which is executed if the heart are very common. Heart diseases are one of the most
heartbeat goes below or above the permissible level given in the
important causes of death among men and women; it claims
devised algorithm. The alert message is received by the doctor
through a mobile phone application. By using this prototype the approximately 1 million deaths every year. Heart rate is a
doctors can access the heartbeat data of the patient from any critical parameter in the functioning of the heart. Therefore
location. The nurses or the duty doctor available at the hospital heart rate monitoring is crucial in the study of heart
can monitor the heart rate of the patient in the serial monitor performance and thereby maintaining heart health.
through the real-time monitoring system. The real-time This paper proposes a heart rate monitoring and
monitoring is done via Adafruit, this platform is more secure to
store the information and uses MQTT protocol which has lots of
abnormality detection system using IoT. Nowadays treatment
advantages over others. IFTTT protocol is also used to create of most of the heart-related diseases requires continuous as
conditional statements called applets. The prototype is integrated well as long term monitoring. IoT is very useful in this aspect
with GPS technology to monitor the live location of the device as it replaces the conventional monitoring systems with a
from any part of the world and uses a local server to provide more efficient scheme, by providing critical information
security, privacy and low latency. The heartbeat data and other
regarding the condition of the patient accessible by the doctor
personal details of the patient are stored in the cloud, this can be
utilized for future studies on the health condition of the patient. in any remote place, at any time through the internet. In
The prototype is realized using NodeMCU, pulse sensor, Adafruit, addition, the nurses or the duty doctor available at the hospital
and Blynk cloud. can monitor the heart rate of the patient in the serial monitor
through the real-time monitoring system. Also, a warning
Index Terms: Heart rate monitoring, sensors, NodeMcu, system is incorporated in which if the patient’s heartbeat goes
Internet of things.
below or exceeds a particular value the doctor receives an
alert message through a mobile application. GPS technology
I. INTRODUCTION
is used in the software system for monitoring the live location
The heart is one of the most important organs in the human of the device. The prototype can also store the data of the
body. It acts as a pump for circulating oxygen and blood heartbeat as well as other details of the patient and this can be
throughout the body, thus keeping the functionality of the used by the doctor to analyze the heart condition of the patient
body intact. A heartbeat can be defined as a two-part pumping and for other future purposes. Early recognition of the disease
action of the heart which occurs for almost a second. It is is very vital in preventing more complications in the future.
produced due to the contraction of the heart. When blood The suggested prototype consists of both hardware and
collects in upper chambers, the SA(SinoAtrial) node sends software components. The hardware consists of NodeMCU,
out an electrical signal which in turn causes the atria to pulse sensor, and LCD display. The software consists of two
contract. This contraction then pushes the blood through IoT platform, Adafruit (along with GPS Technology), and
tricuspid and the mitral valves; this phase of the pumping blynk along with a mobile application. The system is based on
system is called diastole. The next phase begins when the a portable heart rate monitoring system designed in a
ventricles are completely filled with blood. The electrical cost-efficient manner. The prototype is also easy to use and
signals generating from SA node reach the ventricle and cause access the data. And also can be used by people of different
them to contract. This phase of the pumping system is called age groups. The real-time data can be viewed as well as stored
for future studies with respect to the heart condition of the
Revised Manuscript Received on June 14, 2019.
patient.
TV Sethuraman, School of Electronics and Communication A system based on the ECG sensor and pulse sensor is
Engineering, VIT Chennai, Tamil nadu, India. adapted to design a wrist band for early detection of a heart
Kartik Singh Rathore, School of Electrical and Electronics attack and availing medical facilities as soon as possible [1].
Engineering, VIT Chennai, Tamil nadu, India.
Amritha G School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, VIT The proposed layout consists of a smart wrist band using IoT
Chennai, Tamil nadu, India. technology where the device
Kanimozhi G, School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, VIT communication is made
Chennai, Tamil nadu, India..
possible by using a Bluetooth
device. The prototype is based

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Retrieval Number E7480068519/19©BEIESP 1459 & Sciences Publication
 IoT based system for Heart Rate Monitoring and Heart Attack Detection

on Lilypad Arduino and Android application, additionally, Pi is utilized in various aspects these days in many of the
the panic button is provided as part of an alert system in case monitoring systems. ECG analysis is vital in diagnosing the
of heart attack detection. Moreover, a mobile application heart health irrespective of the age group[11]. The signals
called ECG analytics is used for the analysis of the data collected from wearable monitoring node are sent to the cloud.
collected from the sensor[2]. Real-time monitoring of the A wifi module is usually used to achieve this. The IoT cloud is
heartbeat is made possible through the Thing Speak platform. provided with both HTTP and MQTT protocols. This
portrays the data into a graph and also supports real-time
monitoring.
Prototypes are developed for heart rate monitoring as well
as monitoring the interbeat intervals in individuals [12]. This
is realized through Java scripts, using a wearable Smart watch
Samsung gear S3 with library Web Socket. The
communication between Samsung gear S3, server, and the
client is implemented through the algorithm in the Java code.
Continuous heart rate monitoring is an important factor in the
Fig. 1: Block Diagram representation of the prototype
health care of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases
especially in the case of elderly people and private homes for
Heart rate sensor, Wi-Fi Module, and Arduino are used as
patients[13]. The proposed system consists of the
major components in modeling a heart rate monitoring
electric-optical sensor, an embedded system, along with a
system[3]. Combining IoT with this through a heart rate
Bluetooth enabled hands-free module. The heartbeat signals
application is used to obtain the alert message, given, a heart
are collected from the fingertip. The designed system is
attack occurs. The measurement and analysis of heart rate for
enabled with a provision to contact a clinician in a remote
subjects belonging to the age group of 20-80 years are carried
location during an emergency situation.
out[4]. The data is obtained from the sensor by detecting the
Abnormal electro cardio signals can be monitored using a
intensity of light. The output of the sensor is processed into a
remote monitoring system, and the data can be transmitted
hub and sent to the software display unit. This data is further
automatically through mobile phone messages [14]. This is
stored into the SD card to maintain a record of the person’s
accomplished by using a GSM MODEM. Components used
heart rate characteristics.
are heart rate sensor, MCU, interface circuit and MODEM.
The pulse sensor is used along with a temperature sensor
The system uses the AT89C52 MCU. The system
for heart rate monitoring and heart attack detection [5].
requirements for low power consumption and convenient
Arduino board is utilized on the basis of the algorithm. A GPS
operation are met through internal resources integrated with
module is incorporated to locate the specific location of the
AT89C52 MCU. Among the wide variety of applications in
patient. Android application is developed and communication
IoT smart and connected health care is the most important one
is made possible through Bluetooth module. IR sensor is
[15]. IoT facilitates an evolution in the practice of medicine,
incorporated with the hardware system along with Arduino to
enables personalization of the treatment and also helps in
produce a PPG (photoplethysmography) [6]. The signals are
reducing the cost of healthcare. Real-Time Monitoring is one
gained from a fingertip. The software used for graphical
of the most important features of IoT.
representation and analysis is Processing software.
The sensor collects physiological data from the human
II. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY
body, a management unit is used to store and show the
real-time data from the monitoring body [7]. The management a.ECG Waveform
unit can be combined with an IoT system that is a local host The electrical impulses of the heart that causes heartbeats are
network. The results are presented via a monitor, mobile measured using a test called ECG(Electrocardiogram). It is
phone or laptop. The hardware system consists of Arduino primarily used as a diagnostic tool to examine the functioning
UNO, pulse sensor, LEDs and Raspberry Pi 3[8]. Thing of the heart. The ECG measures the heart rate as well as the
Speak, an IoT platform is used for real-time monitoring of the rhythm of the heart, it can also give information regarding the
data. IR emitter-detector pair is used for heart rate blood flow to the heart. An ECG is realized by using a
standard system of electrodes. Usually, ten electrodes are
measurement and the output of the sensor is again amplified
required to produce 12 electrical views of the heart. The
by 741 OP amp IC[9]. A low pass filter is used for removing
pulses are recorded by these electrodes. The signals are
the noise from the signal. The ECG waveform can be
transmitted to the electrocardiograph which displays the
visualized on a Personal computer screen. The data is result on a monitor. The results are mainly a sequence of
uploaded in a database cloud through a Wifi module. continuous wavy lines with a series of spikes. The electrode
There are lots of healths monitoring systems available these patches are placed on each arm, each leg and six on the chest
days. Wireless communications, wearables, and portable wall. On the other hand, a heart monitor can obtain the results
remote health monitoring systems are a few among them [10]. by just placing the electrodes one on each- right arm left arm
The health monitoring systems have devised to make health and left chest. There are a series of waves in ECG these waves
care facilities easily available, comfortable to the patients and are a representation of Atrial and Ventricular polarisation and
most important information regarding the health status of the repolarization, the wave can be
patient must be easily accessible to the doctor irrespective of described as the P wave
his location. IoT plays a key role in this scenario. Raspberry

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Retrieval Number E7480068519/19©BEIESP 1460 & Sciences Publication
 International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249-8958, Volume-8 Issue-5, June 2019

followed by which is the QRS complex and then the T wave. exercise, pregnancy, a stimulus, nervous or excited. A slow
The first deflection on ECG is P wave. It is caused by right rate can occur in diseased people due to reasons like heart
and left atrial depolarization. For a normal P wave, the attack, infections, high potassium levels in the blood or an
duration or the width is less than 0.12 seconds. A normal P underactive thyroid gland. A faster heart rate can occur in
wave is less than 2.5 mm tall. In general, the normal P wave diseased people due to reasons like infections, overactive
axis is within a coordinate between 15° and 75°. It is usually thyroid gland, heart problems, etc. Abnormal heart rhythms
in direction of lead II and away from lead aVR.Therefore a P are called arrhythmias. This condition occurs in most of the
wave will be always positive in lead II and negative in aVR people they are mainly harmless but some of them can be due
during sinus rhythm. to serious heart issues or other health problems. Heart
The second wave that occurs in the ECG is QRS complex as diseases can be classified into different categories that are
shown in Fig. 2. It shows the spread of stimulus through the circulatory, electrical and structural.
ventricle. The QRS complex constitutes mainly three There are two types of circulatory disorders, Heart attack, and
deflections, which are caused due to the current associated Stroke. A condition in which the arteries get clogged leading
with the depolarization of the right and left ventricles. It to the reduction in the flow of blood to the heart or even
contains a Q wave, R wave, and an S wave. The first stopping the blood flow is called a heart attack. This leads to
deflection in the QRS complex is called Q wave if it is heart muscle damage or in many cases kill the heart muscle. A
negative. Consecutively R wave is the first positive deflection stroke is caused due to the blockage or reduction in the flow of
and S wave is the next negative deflection. Any positive blood to the brain. Also called as brain attacks, strokes are not
deflection after S wave it is called as an R wave. The normal considered to be true heart disorders. Blood clots formed in
duration or width of a QRS complex is 0.12 seconds.The next the brain can travel to the brain and block the vessel thereby
part of the ECG waveform is the ST segment. It begins after causing a stroke. Some strokes occur when the blood vessels
the QRS complex and ends at the beginning of the T wave. J burst open as well.
joint represents the junction between the end of the QRS Structural disorders are of two types, Heart valve problems,
complex and the starting of the T wave The current flow and heart failure. Heart valve problems occur when the ability
linked with the second phase of ventricular repolarization is of the heart to push blood efficiently from chamber to
depicted by the ST segment. The ST segment is normally chamber as well as to the rest of the body decreases. Heart
isoelectric with baseline.The T wave represents the third valve problems can be inherited or developed on their own.
phase of the ventricular repolarization. The T wave usually Heart failure can be defined as a condition in which the heart
has the same polarity as that of the QRS complex. During the muscles become too weak to pump the blood effectively. This
period of repolarisation extending from the peak of the T heart condition is referred to as cardiomyopathy. There are
wave to its initial downslope, the ventricles are electrically several heart diseases caused due to electrical factors. Atrial
unstable. flutter occurs due to a single electrical wave that circulates
The region from the beginning of the P wave to that of the very rapidly in the atrium (about 300 times per minute). A
QRS complex is called the PR interval. This region is a harmless faster rhythm can lead to Sinus Tachycardia, a
measure of the time period from the initial depolarization of normal increase in heart rate that occurs usually due to fever,
the atria to the initial depolarization of the ventricles. The excitement, and exercise. Sick Sinus Syndrome is a group of
normal range of this interval is 120 to 200 ms. The region symptoms that shows that the sinus node is not working
from the beginning of the QRS complex until the end of the T properly, during this condition the heart rate can alternate
wave is called the QT interval. This interval is a measure of between fast and slow heart rate. When the heartbeat is
the time in which ventricles depolarize and repolarize. irregular or rapid due to disorganized signals from the heart’s
electrical system it leads to Atrial fibrillation.

Heart Rate Range of

200
different Age groups
Heart Rate

150
100
50
0
Less 12 M
1-12
Fig. 2: QRS Complex than month 2-6 6-12 th
month
one s to 2 years years 1
b. Heart rates and ranges: s
month years ye
The normal range of heartbeat is 60 to 100 beats per minute. Table-1: Heart Rate Ranges for different age groups
Max 160 140 130 120 110 1
Tachycardia is a heart rate faster than 100 beats per minute
and bradycardia is a heart rate slower than 60 beats per Min 120 80 80 75 75 6
minute. A slow rate in a healthy person can be caused due to
being physically fit, sleep or a health condition such as
propranolol or metoprolol. A faster heart can be caused due to

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 IoT based system for Heart Rate Monitoring and Heart Attack Detection

Ventricular Fibrillation, causes Sudden Cardiac Arrest. The b.Pulse Sensor

heartbeat is fast and causes the ventricles or the lower heart A pulse sensor or heart rate sensor is a plug and play type
chambers to spasm. Ventricular Tachycardia can lead to sensor. The normal operating voltage is +5V or +3.3V and
Ventricular Fibrillation. This disease is usually seen along current consumption of 4mA. The sensor shown in Fig 3b has
with serious heart diseases. This is also seen in people with two sides, one side consists of an LED with an ambient light
normal hearts. Heart blocks occur when the electrical signals sensor and the other side contains circuitry which amplifies
from the atria cannot travel to the ventricles, this causes the the signals and filters the noise.
ventricles to beat slowly thereby decreasing the amount of
oxygen in the blood and body. Premature contractions refer to
early, extra or skipped beats.. Long QT syndrome can be
inherited, caused due to some medications or due to both the
reasons. The people suffering from Long QT syndrome are at
risk of Ventricular Fibrillation, this may even lead to sudden
death.

Disease Heart rate

Less than 60 bpm. Fig. 3a:Node MCU

Bradycardia: Slow Heart Rate

Atrial 300-400 times a minute.

Fibrillation (AF or AFib)
Atrial Flutter (AFL) 300 times a minute.

Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) Greater than 170 bpm.

Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) Less than or equal to

110.
Heart Attack (Myocardial Greater than 100.
Infarction) Fig. 3b: Pulse sensor

Table 2- Heart Rate ranges for different heart-related

diseases.

III. SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

Adafruit
Adafruit is an IoT platform to display, respond, and interact
with the user’s data. It can handle and visualize multiple feeds
of data. This platform keeps the data private and secure.
Adafruit uses MQTT protocol for device communication.
MQTT(Message Queue Telemetry Transport), has a faster
response, lower battery and bandwidth usage. This makes
MQTT a better option than HTTP.

Blynk
Blynk is an IoT platform. It is a platform with iOS and
Android apps to control Arduino and Raspberry Pi. It can be
stated as a digital dashboard a graphic interface can be built
by simply dragging and dropping widgets. Its functionality is
very simple and it supports the hardware of our choice.

IV. HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

Fig. 4: Flowchart for the proposed design.
For the hardware implementation of the heart rate monitoring
system, the major components required are pulse sensor and The proposed prototype is a device that can be attached to the
NodeMCU. wrist of the patient. The pulse data from the patient’s wrist is
a.NodeMCU collected by the pulse sensor. The process of working is given
NodeMCU is an open source IoT platform. It is based on in the flowchart as shown in Fig. 4. The data is transferred to
ESP8266 WI-FI Soc from Espressif systems. The hardware is the microcontroller, nodeMCU coded with different
based on ESP-12 module. It uses the Lua scripting language. algorithms for heart patients
NodeMCU uses an on-module flash-based SPIFFS file and normal people. From the
system as shown in Fig. 3a. nodeMCU, the data is sent to

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 International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology (IJEAT)
ISSN: 2249-8958, Volume-8 Issue-5, June 2019

the cloud, Adafruit. Adafruit, an IoT platform is used for

serial monitoring as well as location monitoring using GPS
technology as shown in Fig. 6. A local server is used to
provide security, privacy, and low latency. IFFFT protocol is
also used to create conditional statements called applets.

(a)

Fig. 5: Hardware implementation

(b)
Fig. 6: Serial Monitoring Fig 7 (a)and (b) Serial monitoring depicting different heart
If the heartbeat values exceed or go below the heartbeat rate and location.
ranges given in the algorithm, an alert is sent to the doctor’s
mobile through a mobile app.The mobile application is Fig 7 (a) and (b) shows the serial monitoring screen depicting
realized using Blynk. By using the GPS technology the device heart rate 70 and 90 along with the patient location. The
location is monitored this helps the doctor in locating the heartbeat is monitored through real-time monitoring and the
patient. data can be stored for future studies regarding the health of the
patient. The alert message sends through the mobile app helps
the doctor in availing the right medical help to the patient
during emergency situations.

V. V.CONCLUSION
In this system a real time heart rate monitoring and heart
attack detection system is realised by using IoT. The proposed
design is advantageous to patients of different age groups by
providing real time heart health monotoring. It also provides
security and privacy to the datas of the patient. The proposed
design is implemented as the real time monitoring system
which helps in providing immediate health care facilities to
the patient by using MQTT protocol and IFTTT protocol,
alert system and location monitoring are other features of the
design. In addition to this a
local server is used to provide
security, privacy and low
latency.

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 IoT based system for Heart Rate Monitoring and Heart Attack Detection

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AUTHORS PROFILE

TV.Sethuraman is perusing his Bachelor’s degree in

Electronics and Communication Engineering in VIT
Chennai from 2016. His research interest includes
Internet of Things and Android applications.

Kartik Singh Rathore is perusing his Bachelor’s

degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in VIT
Chennai from 2016. His research interest includes
sensors and Internet of Things.

Published By:
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Retrieval Number E7480068519/19©BEIESP 1464 & Sciences Publication