Comparison of respiration rate monitoring with a low-cost Doppler-Radar sensor and inductive thorax-plethysmography

Abstract

Reliable remote measurement of respiration rate is an unmet need in clinical and home settings. Nowadays, state-of-the-art measurement of respiration rate (RR) outside the intensive care unit (ICU) is still based on manual counting of the moving thorax by the visiting nurse. New approaches are required in order to get more reliable RR measurements. In this paper, we show that respiration rate monitoring is feasible with low cost continuous wave Doppler-Radar sensors. In conclusion, even spot check measurements with a breath to-breath rate detection are feasible. However, in-depth clinical research in real-life use case scenarios is needed in order to explore the full potential in terms of clinical accuracy and acceptance. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.