Investigation of a Ballistocardiogram-Based Technique for Unobtrusive Monitoring of Fluid Accumulation in the Body.
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Evaluation of Fluid Overload by Bioelectrical Impedance Vectorial Analysis
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Abstract:
We introduce a novel monitoring solution for fluid accumulation in the human body (e.g. internal bleeding), based on observation of a selected energy-describing feature of the Ballistocardiogram (BCG) signal. It is hypothesized that, because of additional damping generated by the fluid, BCG signal energy decreases as compared to its baseline value. Data were collected from 15 human volunteers via accelerometers attached to the participants' body, and an electromechanical-film (EMFi) sensor-equipped bed. Fluid accumulation along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract was induced by means of water intake by the participants, and the BCG signal was recorded before and after intake. Based on performance evaluation, we selected a suitable energy feature and sensing channel amongst the ones investigated. The chosen feature showed a significant decrease in signal energy from baseline to after-intake condition (p-value<0.001), and identified the presence of fluid accumulation with high sensitivity (90% in bed-based, and 100% in standing-position monitoring).
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