Blockchain-Enabled IoT Framework for
Secure Remote ECG Monitoring
A validated research prototype combining wearable IoT hardware, real-time clinical dashboards, and permissioned blockchain technology to make cardiac monitoring accessible, secure, and continuous — particularly for low- and middle-income regions.
Research Abstract
Background: Traditional ECG machines operate as stand-alone, point-of-care devices that store data locally, limiting their ability to support real-time remote monitoring — especially for patients with intermittent arrhythmias.
Objective: Remote Patient Monitoring Systems lack secure interoperability and tamper-proof management of ECG measurements. This project presents a blockchain-enabled IoT framework to address these gaps.
Results: Experimental results revealed reliable readings with an average resting heart rate of 69 BPM across 10 consecutive measurements. Patient data is stored and transmitted via Hyperledger Fabric blockchain for integrity and traceability.
Conclusion: The system enhances accessibility and affordability of ECG monitoring, reduces hospital visits through continuous remote monitoring, and enables timely emergency alerts including automated cardiac anomaly detection.
How It Was Built
Five development phases from hardware to deployment
Hardware Setup
Built a compact wearable device using the AD8232 ECG sensor module and ESP32 microcontroller, capable of capturing ECG signals, Heart Rate (BPM), and Heart Rhythm Patterns with onboard OLED display feedback.
Firmware Development
Developed custom firmware in the Arduino IDE with libraries for real-time ECG acquisition, signal processing, and wireless data transmission over Wi-Fi using HTTPClient and ArduinoJson.
Backend Development
Built a Node.js REST API using Express, CORS, and body-parser to bridge the IoT device, blockchain network, and web dashboard — deployed on AWS EC2 for reliable cloud hosting.
Blockchain Integration
Integrated Hyperledger Fabric, a permissioned blockchain, to ensure tamper-proof storage and full traceability of all patient ECG records. Chaincode written in Go, containerised with Docker and Docker Compose.
Web Dashboard
Developed a real-time Next.js clinical dashboard providing live ECG waveform visualisation, heart rate monitoring, interval and rhythm analysis, automated anomaly alerts, and a live blockchain status indicator.
Real-World Impact
Designed for community health centres and rural hospitals in low-income regions where Holter monitors and traditional ECG machines remain out of reach.
Technology Stack
Hardware
- AD8232 ECG Sensor
- ESP32 Microcontroller
- OLED Display
Firmware
- Arduino IDE
- HTTPClient
- ArduinoJson
Backend
- Node.js
- Express
- AWS EC2
Blockchain
- Hyperledger Fabric
- Go Chaincode
- Docker
Frontend
- Next.js
- Tailwind CSS
- Vercel
Research Keywords