Visual Measurements of Breathing Parameters in Children With a Particular Focus on Phase Angle: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Pediatric Pulmonology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Pediatric respiratory monitoring is vital for children's health, especially those with respiratory diseases.
• Current methods are often invasive or cumbersome, limiting accessibility and patient comfort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a non-invasive, remote procedure for measuring key pediatric respiratory parameters.
• To assess respiratory rate (RR), volumetric changes, and the phase angle (PA) between chest and abdominal movements.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a video depth camera to detect feature points (nipples, navel) in children.
• Recorded 30-60 second videos to track chest and abdominal movements for parameter estimation.
• Validated accuracy using mechanical lung simulators and correlated results with physician assessments in pediatric patients.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated strong correlation between simulator inputs and algorithm estimations, confirming method accuracy.
• Showed significant correlation between remote estimations and physician assessments in pediatric patients.
• Achieved the first remote measurement of the respiratory phase angle (PA).

Conclusions:

• The developed remote procedure offers a promising, accurate, and non-invasive alternative for pediatric respiratory monitoring.
• High correlation with physician assessments validates the reliability for clinical applications.
• Potential to advance pediatric respiratory care through accessible technology.