Description:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>
Introduction New non-medical monitors are offered for respiration
monitoring of neonates. Epigastric motion during sleep was investigated by means
of a wearable tracker in parallel to clinical monitoring. Cohort: 23
hospitalised neonates ready for discharge.</jats:p><jats:p>
Methods A 3-axes-accelerometer and -gyroscope was placed in a standard
epigastric position. Between two routine care rounds signals were recorded in
parallel to monitoring of impedance pneumography (IP), ECG and pulse oximetry.
Motion signals vs. time charts were evaluated using 10-min episodes and
semiquantitatively assigned to breathing signal quality, regular breathing,
periodic breathing and confounding artefacts. The results were compared with the
impedance pneumographic data.</jats:p><jats:p>
Results 26 recordings (mean duration: 210 min/infant) were
conducted without bradycardia or apnea alarm. The gestational age at birth
ranged 28.9 to 41.1 and at recording from 35.6 to 42.3 postmenstrual weeks.
Motion patterns of quiet sleep with regular breathing, periodic breathing and
active sleep with confounding body movements were found. The longitudinal and
transversal gyroscope axes resulted in best signal quality. Periodic breathing
was found in up to 80% of episodes and decreased inversely with
gestational age showing significantly more periodic breathing in preterm
infants. Respiration signals of the gyroscope vs. IP showed a low bias and
highly variating frequencies.</jats:p><jats:p>
Conclusions Standardized motion trackers may detect typical neonatal
breathing and body-motion-patterns, that could help to classify neonatal sleep.
Respiratory rates can only be determined during quiet sleep.</jats:p>