The proposed physiological computerized data acquisition and analyses system will be composed of a VAX minicomputer core, which will integrate output from 7 peripheral computerized, physiological data acquisitions systems. The data management, storage and analyses functions of the core computer, both hardware and software, will include interfaces with the University of Washington campus TCP/IP Ethernet network, a sizable amount of central memory, and a large disk capacity. Seven peripheral computerized, physiological data acquisition subsystems will be interfaced with the core computer: the Oxford Medilog 9200, an ambulatory monitoring system for sleep; the Spacelabs Model FT 2000 Holter Analyses System, an ambulatory monitoring system for arrhythmias and heart rate variability; the E-2000 Neck Baroreflex System, a system to evaluate baroreceptor function (i.e., blood pressure control); the Quinton Treadmill to evaluate exercise; the SensorMedics MMC 4400 Metabolic Cart to evaluate oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide for respiratory and nutritional assessment; the SpaceLabs Ambulatory Blood Pressure Recording System to measure continuous blood pressure; the Respisomnograph System to measure tidal volume and other respiratory parameters during sleep; and the Biofeedback System to train individuals to cognitively control physiological responses, such as heart rate, respiration, temperature, blood pressure and muscle tension. All of these data acquisition subsystems would involve non-invasive physiological monitoring, and all of these subsystems generate digital data, usually in the form of ASCII data through RS-232 ports to the VAX core computer. Some of the proposed subsystems are based on the IBM/PC computers with Ethernet interface capacity, which would be capable of information transmission at several orders of magnitude faster rates than the RS-232 ports. In summary, all the subsystems for data acquisition will interface with the core VAX computer, which is prerequisite to the integration and formatting of information.
