A respiratory monitoring device based on clavicular motion

Respiratory rate is one of the key vital signs yet unlike temperature, heart rate or blood pressure, there is no simple and low cost measurement device for medical use. Here we discuss the development of a respiratory sensor based upon clavicular motion and the findings of a pilot study comparing re...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physiological measurement 2013-08, Vol.34 (8), p.N51-N61
Main Authors: Pitts, D G, Patel, M K, Lang, P-O, Sinclair, A J, Aspinall, R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Clavicle - physiology
diagnostic equipment
dyspnoea
electronic data processing
Exhalation
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Monitoring, Physiologic - instrumentation
Movement
Respiration
respiratory rate
Respiratory Rate - physiology
telemedicine
Thorax - physiology
Wavelet Analysis
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Respiratory rate is one of the key vital signs yet unlike temperature, heart rate or blood pressure, there is no simple and low cost measurement device for medical use. Here we discuss the development of a respiratory sensor based upon clavicular motion and the findings of a pilot study comparing respiratory rate readings derived from clavicular and thoracic motion with an expiratory breath flow reference sensor. Simultaneously sampled data from resting volunteers (n = 8) was analysed to determine the location of individual breaths in the data set and from these, breath periods and frequency were calculated. Clavicular sensor waveforms were found to be more consistent and of greater amplitude than those from the thoracic device, demonstrating good alignment with the reference waveform. On comparing breath by breath periods a close agreement was observed with the reference, with mean clavicular respiratory rate R2 values of 0.89 (lateral) and 0.98 (longitudinal-axis). This pilot study demonstrates the viability of clavicular respiratory sensing. The sensor is unobtrusive, unaffected by bioelectrical or electrode problems and easier to determine and more consistent than thoracic motion sensing. With relatively basic signal conditioning and processing requirements, it could provide an ideal platform for a low-cost respiratory monitor.
ISSN:0967-3334
1361-6579
DOI:10.1088/0967-3334/34/8/N51