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Pilot study of objective cough monitoring in infants
1Royal Hospital for Sick Children, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Donna.Corrigan@lanpct.scot.nhs.uk
Insights
Objective cough monitoring in infants is now practical using adapted technology. This study shows the feasibility of using cough monitors to accurately assess infant cough patterns during illness and health.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Respiratory Medicine
- Medical Technology
Background:
- Cough is a frequent childhood ailment causing significant illness and healthcare use.
- Understanding infant cough development and frequency is limited.
- Objective cough monitoring methods have been developed but not yet applied to infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of extending objective cough monitoring techniques to infants.
- To evaluate the accuracy of an adapted commercial cough monitor in infants.
Main Methods:
- Thirty infants were enrolled: 13 with cough (Group 1) and 17 healthy controls (Group 2).
- Cough events were recorded using an adapted Logan Research LR100 cough monitor alongside simultaneous infrared video and sound.
- Thirty-eight recordings were analyzed, comparing monitor data to video analysis.
Main Results:
- The cough monitor demonstrated 81% sensitivity and 0.8 positive predictive value compared to video analysis.
- Good agreement was observed for infrequent coughs (<5 coughs/hour).
- The monitor was portable and easy to use, though lead attachment posed challenges in mobile infants.
Conclusions:
- Objective cough assessment is practical in infants.
- This technology enables further study into infant cough patterns during illness and health.
- Further research can refine monitoring techniques for better accuracy in all infant cough frequencies.
Abstract:
Cough is common in childhood, resulting in significant morbidity and frequent medical consultation. Despite this, little is known about the frequency or development of cough, particularly in infants and young children. Recent progress in monitoring has enabled cough to be measured objectively both day and night. However, to date, objective measurement has only been used in adults and older children. The aim of this study was to see whether such methods could be extended to allow objective cough monitoring in infants. Thirty infants were recruited: 13 with coughing illnesses (group 1), and 17 normal, healthy babies (group 2) born to nonatopic, nonsmoking parents. Group 2 infants were studied when well, several times in the first year of life. Coughs were recorded using an adapted commercial cough monitor (Logan Research LR100) and simultaneous infrared video and sound recording. Thirty-eight recordings with simultaneous cough monitor and video data were analyzed: 9 from group 1, and 29 from group 2. Overall, the sensitivity of the monitor when compared to video was 81%, with a positive predictive value of 0.8. There was good agreement between the two methods for infants with infrequent cough (<5 coughs per hour). Agreement in infants with more frequent cough was not as good, because more coughs were consistently identified by the cough monitor. The portability and small size of the cough monitor made it easy to use, although there were difficulties in keeping the leads attached in older, more mobile infants. In conclusion, objective assessment of cough is practical in infants, enabling the pattern of cough in illness and in health to be studied further.