Simple Wireless Impedance Pneumography System for Unobtrusive Sensing of Respiration

This extended paper presents the development and implementation at a prototype level of a wireless, low-cost system for the measurement of the electrical bioimpedance of the chest with two channels using the AD5933 in a bipolar electrode configuration to measure impedance pneumography. The measurement device works for impedance measurements ranging from 1 Ω to 1800 Ω. Fifteen volunteers were measured with the prototype. We found that the left hemithorax has higher impedance compared to the right hemithorax, and the acquired signal presents the phases of the respiratory cycle with variations between 1 Ω, in normal breathing, to 6 Ω in maximum inhalation events. The system can measure the respiratory cycle variations simultaneously in both hemithorax with a mean error of -0.18 ± 1.42 BPM (breaths per minute) in the right hemithorax and -0.52 ± 1.31 BPM for the left hemithorax, constituting a useful device for the breathing rate calculation and possible screening applications.