Respiratory Rate Trend Detection Using Gas Flow Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients receiving long-term oxygen therapy often experience condition exacerbation that requires hospital admission, which is costly and delays treatment, highlighting the need for early detection of deteriorating health to initiate timely intervention.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method using a sensor unit to monitor gas flow rate or pressure in a respiratory device, coupled with a processor for trend analysis of respiratory rate, generating a warning when an upward trend exceeds a threshold, indicating potential health deterioration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If patients wait until significant worsening occurs before seeking treatment, then hospital admission becomes necessary, but this delays treatment and increases healthcare costs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of respiratory rate trends before significant clinical deterioration occurs. By continuously monitoring respiratory rate and analyzing upward trends, the system triggers warnings that enable preliminary medical intervention, preventing the need for delayed hospital admission and allowing treatment to be initiated before the condition significantly worsens.
2Productivity
If manual monitoring of patient condition is used, then treatment decisions are delayed, but automated monitoring increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The automated monitoring system utilizes the existing respiratory support device's gas flow pathway to simultaneously provide therapeutic gas delivery and diagnostic monitoring functions. The sensor unit monitors respiratory rate by detecting variations in gas flow through the existing circuitry, eliminating the need for separate complex monitoring equipment and enabling integrated multi-functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the patient's own respiratory activity to generate the monitoring signal. The respiratory movements naturally cause variations in gas flow through the circuit, which are detected by the sensor unit. This self-generating signal approach eliminates the need for external power sources or complex active sensing mechanisms, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining continuous monitoring capability.
3Measurement precision
If traditional pressure gauge under mattress is used for breathing monitoring, then non-breathing related motion is detected, but pattern analysis is required to eliminate false signals
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the respiratory monitoring function from the complex pattern analysis requirement by directly measuring gas flow variations caused by respiratory movements. Instead of using indirect motion detection that requires sophisticated pattern recognition to distinguish breathing from other movements, the system extracts a pure respiratory signal through the gas flow pathway, eliminating non-breathing related motion interference at the source.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables early detection of respiratory rate trends indicating potential health deterioration, allowing for preemptive action to reduce hospital admissions and improve patient outcomes and healthcare costs.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor device may comprise a differential pressure sensor having first and second pneumatic input ports, the first pneumatic input port being configured to receive a flow of gas from a first point in the pipe and the second pneumatic input port being configured to receive a flow of gas from a second point in the pipe
Implementation Method 2
The second pneumatic input port may comprise a porous material within a hollow centre of the second pneumatic input port. Alternatively, at least a portion of the second pneumatic input port may be formed from a resilient material.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an apparatus for detecting the deteriorating health of a patient receiving gas from a respiratory device. The apparatus comprises a sensor unit configured to monitor a flow rate or pressure of a gas that is flowing in a pipe that connects the respiratory device to a gas delivery device worn by the patient, and a processor configured to measure a respiratory rate of the patient based on variations in the flow rate or pressure of gas in the pipe and to implement a trend analysis of the measured respiratory rate. The processor is configured to generate a warning when it determines that there is an upward trend in the measured respiratory rate and that a magnitude of the trend exceeds a threshold.