Respiratory synchrony comparison between preterm and full‐term neonates using inertial sensors

• Published in: Pediatric pulmonology 2021-06, Vol.56 (6), p.1763-1770
• Main Authors: Paula Silveira, Letícia, Magalhães, Fabrício Anicio, Oliveira Holanda, Norrara Scarlytt, Bezerra, Mickaelly Yanaê Gomes, Bomtempo, Raffi Antunes Braga, Pereira, Silvana Alves, Ribeiro, Simone Nascimento Santos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: infants; Kinematics; Neonatal care; Newborn babies; Respiration; respiratory pattern; Respiratory system; thoracoabdominal motion; wearable sensors
• ISSN: 8755-6863; 1099-0496
• DOI: 10.1002/ppul.25323

Introduction Due to inefficient respiratory control, newborns become prone to asynchronous thoracoabdominal (TA) movements. The present study quantitatively estimated the synchrony of TA in preterm and full‐term newborns through an inertial and magnetic measurement units (IMMUs) system. Methods This cross‐sectional study was conducted with 20 newborns divided into Preterm Group (PTG, n = 10) and Full‐Term Group (FTG, n = 10). Each neonate had IMMUs placed on the sternum and near the umbilicus, thus the TA motion was estimated through the resultant inclination angles calculated using a sensor fusion filter. The respiratory incursions were also manually counted and video‐recorded for two minutes, then used to validate a Matlab custom‐written routine for their automatic identification. The respiratory cycles were used to calculate the phase change angle (φ) between the thoracic and abdominal compartments. Association between the manual and automatic methods were verified by Pearson's correlation and root mean squared errors (RMSE), and the comparison between the groups was performed through the Student's t test with α = .05. Results The values of respiratory incursions measured by both methods showed a high association and low measurement error (r = .96, RMSE = 9.8, p