Vital File Web Viewer: A Browser-Based Tool for Viewing High-Resolution Vital Signs Data

Abstract

Vital File Web Viewer is an open-source, browser-based tool for visualizing high-resolution vital signs data stored in the .vital format, commonly used during surgery or intensive care monitoring. The viewer enables seamless access to time-series waveform data across operating systems without requiring installation or server-side processing. This tool facilitates rapid data exploration and quality assessment in clinical research environments, particularly when centralized software infrastructure is unavailable.

Background

Vital signs data stored in the .vital format are widely used in clinical research, particularly in anesthesiology and intensive care [1]. However, existing visualization tools for .vital files are platform-dependent and require local installation, limiting accessibility and usability across diverse systems. To address this, we developed a lightweight, browser-based .vital file viewer that runs entirely client-side, enabling seamless and cross-platform visualization without the need for server-side components or software installation.

Software Description

Vital File Web Viewer is a lightweight, browser-based tool designed to visualize .vital files — a binary file format commonly used for storing high-resolution vital signs data in operating rooms and intensive care units. The software allows users to open .vital files directly in their web browser without installing any additional software or requiring server-side components.

Users can load files via drag-and-drop or file selection and switch between two display modes: Track View, which shows all recorded signals as time-series plots, and Monitor View, which simulates the layout of a clinical patient monitor with waveform playback controls. Features include multi-file handling, timeline scrubbing, adjustable playback speeds, and responsive design for various devices.

The viewer is implemented entirely in HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS3, using the Pako library [3] for decompression and HTML5 Canvas for rendering. It supports all modern web browsers and is optimized for performance on large files through asynchronous processing and memory-efficient design.

Technical Implementation

The application is implemented entirely using client-side technologies: HTML5, JavaScript (ES6+), and CSS3. Visualization is performed through HTML5 Canvas, while .vital files are decompressed using the Pako library [3]. File parsing, rendering, and user interaction are handled asynchronously to ensure responsiveness. The viewer supports two visualization modes — Track View and Monitor View — and allows users to interact with data through timeline scrubbing, zoom, and playback controls.

Installation and Requirements

No installation is required. The viewer is designed to run entirely in modern web browsers.

Supported browsers:

• Google Chrome (latest)

• Mozilla Firefox (latest)

• Safari (latest)

• Microsoft Edge (latest)

To use:

1. Download the stable source code from the v1.0.0 release [4].

2. Open vitalfile_webviewer.html in any supported browser.

3. Load .vital files by drag-and-drop or file selection.

Usage Notes

Researchers can use this tool to rapidly inspect .vital files collected during surgery or intensive care, for purposes such as quality control, waveform validation, and the selection of clean segments for analysis. Because the viewer operates entirely on the client side, it is particularly useful in research environments without centralized infrastructure or in multicenter studies with varying local software setups.

The tool does not require any installation or data upload, ensuring confidentiality of patient data during local file access.

Release Notes

Initial release (v1.0.0):

• Full support for .vital file decompression and parsing in-browser

• Two visualization modes: Track View and Monitor View

• Multi-file drag-and-drop support with file history

• Playback controls with timeline scrubbing

• Responsive design for use across screen sizes and platforms

Ethics

This project does not involve any collection, use, or redistribution of data from human or animal subjects. The Vital File Web Viewer is a client-side visualization tool designed to process .vital files provided by users in their local environments. No data is transmitted, stored, or shared via external servers. As such, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was not required.

The tool is intended for educational and research use only. Users are responsible for ensuring that the .vital files they use comply with all applicable data protection and ethical guidelines in their jurisdictions.

Acknowledgements

We thank the contributors of the Pako library [3], and the communities behind Font Awesome and jQuery for their open-source UI components. Development of this tool was supported by the VitalDB project [2], a high-resolution perioperative vital signs database.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

1. Lee H, Jung CW. VitalDB: A high-fidelity multi-parameter vital signs database in surgical patients. Scientific Data. 2018;5:180010. doi:10.1038/sdata.2018.10.
2. VitalDB: High-resolution vital signs database. Available from: https://vitaldb.net. Accessed 2025 Jul 11.
3. Pako: JavaScript zlib port. Available from: https://github.com/nodeca/pako. Accessed 2025 Jul 11.
4. Vital File Web Viewer. Stable release v1.0.0. Available from: https://github.com/vitaldb/vitalfile_webviewer/releases/tag/v1.0.0. Accessed 2025 Jul 11.
5. Vital File Web Viewer. Latest source code. Available from: https://github.com/vitaldb/vitalfile_webviewer. Accessed 2025 Jul 11.