Multi-frequency Electrical Impedance Pneumography System as Point-Of-Care Device

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Devices
• Respiratory Medicine

Background:

• Pulmonary diseases require accurate and accessible screening methods.
• Previous electrical impedance pneumography (EIP) devices had limitations for widespread clinical use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an upgraded, portable multi-frequency EIP system for enhanced clinical screening of pulmonary diseases.
• To integrate a mobile platform for real-time data acquisition and device configuration.

Main Methods:

• The system utilizes the MAX30001 bioimpedance analog front end, a mux/demux stage, Bluetooth 4.0, and an ESP32 microcontroller.
• It generates an 8 μA_pp excitation current across selectable frequencies from 1 kHz to 130 kHz.
• A mobile platform processes the real-time respiration signal at 64 S/s.

Main Results:

• The multi-frequency EIP system demonstrated reduced error at higher frequencies (1 kHz-130 kHz).
• Feasibility for human use was confirmed, with higher frequencies showing better accuracy.
• Hardware constraints impacting signal acquisition were identified and discussed.

Conclusions:

• The developed portable multi-frequency EIP system is feasible for clinical application in pulmonary disease screening.
• The system's design, leveraging higher frequencies, improves the accuracy of respiration monitoring.
• Further investigation into hardware limitations is recommended for future EIP integrated circuits.