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Piezoelectric Sensor-Based Continuous Monitoring of Respiratory Rate During Sleep

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Abstract

Purpose

Respiration during sleep is one of the indicators of an individual’s health. However, many respiratory measurement devices need to be worn by the patient and can affect sleep. We introduce here a novel, easy-to-use, respiratory rate-monitoring sensor made of stretchable piezoelectric material that can be used conveniently at home as well as in a clinical setting.

Methods

We enrolled 6 members of a family as volunteers ranging in age from 9 months to 69 years. The sensor was used to continuously record respiratory rate data for all individuals during sleep.

Results

The sensor could detect known breathing patterns such as stable, unstable, or deep breathing as well as apnea during sleep. We observed significant differences in the respiratory rates and respiratory stability between subjects during sleep.

Conclusion

The piezoelectric sensor was effective in people in all age groups, paving a way for future use as a convenient and reliable mode of respiratory assessment for adults as well as neonates at home and in a clinical setting.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Sumitomo Riko Company Limited (Japan) for providing the TaidoSensor® for the study. The authors would also like to thank Mr. Ritwik Handa, MBA (Intel Corp., Phoenix, AZ, USA), for providing technical guidance and assistance in this study.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Shuhei So and Divyanu Jain contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Reproductive and Perinatal Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan

    Shuhei So

  2. Tawara IVF Clinic, Shizuoka, Shizuoka, Japan

    Shuhei So

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan

    Divyanu Jain & Naohiro Kanayama

  4. Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada

    Divyanu Jain

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  1. Shuhei So
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Contributions

SS contributed to the study design and analysis and interpretation of the data and co-wrote the manuscript. DJ contributed to the analysis and interpretation of the data and co-wrote the manuscript. NK is the lead investigator and contributed to the implementation of this study and edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shuhei So.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. S.S. belongs to the funded laboratory of the Tawara IVF clinic.

Ethical Approval

All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and its later amendments. The protocol for this study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Tawara IVF clinic (No. 2019_0024).

Informed Consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all the participants of this study (or their parent or legal guardian in the case of children under 16 years of age) for participation and publication of their data.

Supplementary Information

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So, S., Jain, D. & Kanayama, N. Piezoelectric Sensor-Based Continuous Monitoring of Respiratory Rate During Sleep. J. Med. Biol. Eng. 41, 241–250 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40846-021-00602-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40846-021-00602-6

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