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Investigation into Deep Breathing through Measurement of Ventilatory Parameters and Observation of Breathing Patterns
Published on: September 16, 2019
A pilot study quantifying the shape of tidal breathing waveforms using centroids in health and COPD
E M Williams1, T Powell, M Eriksen
1Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UK, Mark.Williams@southwales.ac.uk.
Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing
|July 25, 2013
Summary
Researchers quantified airflow waveform shape in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) using centroid coordinates. COPD patients exhibit altered breathing patterns and skewed expiratory airflow, quantifiable by this method.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary physiology
- Respiratory mechanics
- Biomedical engineering
Background:
- Expiratory airflow waveform shape varies with age and respiratory conditions like COPD.
- Traditional metrics focus on time or volume, neglecting waveform shape and area parameters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To derive and compare centroid coordinates of inspiratory and expiratory flow-time and flow-volume waveforms.
- To analyze airflow waveform shape differences in individuals with and without COPD.
Main Methods:
- Resting tidal breathing data was collected from 24 participants with COPD and 13 healthy individuals.
- A Monte Carlo simulation analyzed flow-time data to derive waveform centroids.
- Centroid coordinates of flow-time and flow-volume waveforms were calculated for each breath.
Main Results:
- Participants with COPD showed a faster breathing rate (17 vs 14 breaths/min) and shorter time to peak expiratory flow.
- Expiratory flow-time and flow-volume centroids were left-shifted in COPD patients.
- This shift indicates increased asymmetry in the expiratory airflow pattern due to airway obstruction.
Conclusions:
- Centroid coordinates effectively quantify the skewness of expiratory airflow waveforms.
- Airflow waveform shape analysis offers a novel approach to characterizing respiratory changes in COPD.
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