Optimal short distance electrode locations for impedance pneumography measurement from the frontal thoracic area

Abstract

Electrical impedance pneumography signal is a valuable tool in qualifying better the person’s health condition. It can be used in monitoring of respiration rate, rhythm and tidal volume. Impedance pneumography has also the potential in ambulatory physiological monitoring systems that are increasingly often implemented using plaster-like on-body devices. In such cases, the area of electrode substrate may be limited and therefore, the electrode configuration, which is able to provide both a clinically valuable electrocardiogram signal and accurate pulmonary information, is an issue. EAS is a useful small area electrode configuration that can be used for electrocardiogram measurements. In this work, different two-electrode bipolar pairs of EAS system are tested for impedance pneumography measurements. Two additional electrodes are also considered in these tests. Our results show that the electrode pair S-A provides the most accurate respiration cycle length and is least affected by movement artifact. Additionally, the results show that this electrode pair produces the signals with highest amplitude.