An accelerometry-based, low cost and non-invasive respiration monitoring in anesthetized mice

Respiratory rate monitoring is essential especially for anesthetized animals in veterinary and biomedical research. Current methods often rely on invasive or wearable devices, which can stress animals, especially smaller ones like rodents. Here we present a non-invasive, environmentally integrated device that detects subtle breathing movements through waveform analyzed data via a triaxial accelerometer under a flexible fabric sheet in a trampoline-like box. The accuracy of the system was tested on anesthetized mice under varying isoflurane concentrations (1 to 3%) by comparison with a laser displacement sensor. The accelerometer data closely correlated with that from a laser displacement sensor, particularly under deeper anesthesia, with minimal deviations in respiratory rate detection. This method may provide a promising alternative for animal respiratory monitoring.