WIP 106 - A novel wireless, wearable acoustic sensor for the monitoring of respiratory airflow and respiratory efforts in preterm infants: Phase 2 of an observational international collaborative pilot study
PhD Candidate McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Background: Transthoracic impedance (TTI) is the current standard for monitoring respiration in the NICU. However, this method lacks precision in detecting respiratory efforts and cannot capture airflow, limiting its ability to detect and classify apneas in preterm infants. We devised a small wireless, wearable, acoustic sensor comprised of a dual microphone and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to capture respiratory airflow and breathing efforts, respectively. Objective: To evaluate the reliability of a wireless acoustic sensor in detecting (1) breathing efforts compared to the “gold standard” respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) and the current NICU standard TTI and (2) detecting respiratory airflow compared to the “gold standard” thermistor. Design/Methods: The study has obtained Research Ethics Board approval. Twenty spontaneously breathing infants < 32 weeks’ gestation will be recruited from the NICU. Two acoustic sensors will be applied on the infant: one on the suprasternal notch and one on the right upper chest. A thermistor will be secured under the infant’s nares, and RIP bands will be placed around the infant’s chest and abdomen. TTI will be captured using the standard electrocardiogram leads over the chest. Signals will be continuously recorded for 3h in between nursing care. Data Analysis Plan: Reliability of the acoustic sensor in detecting breathing efforts will be evaluated by comparing IMU, RIP sum, and TTI signals for the following 3 outcomes: (1) Signal coverage (percentage time spent with uninterpretable signal); (2) respiratory rates computed over 5-sec windows and presented using Bland-Altman analysis; and (3) breathing pauses >3-sec. Reliability of the acoustic sensor in detecting respiratory airflow will be evaluated by comparing the microphone and nasal thermistor signals. Timeline: Recordings are complete for 13 participants (65%) with median gestational age of 28.7 weeks and postmenstrual age 35.4 weeks. Data collection and analyses will be completed by 02/2024 and final results are expected for 04/2024.
