[Perspectives of a respiratory function analysis]

Area of Science:

• Respiratory physiology
• Pulmonary function testing
• Medical instrumentation

Context:

• Current respiratory function assessments often require patient collaboration and lack specificity.
• There is a need for non-invasive, sensitive, and differentiating methods to evaluate bronchial system properties.
• Advancements in sensor technology enable new approaches to respiratory monitoring.

Purpose:

• To introduce novel methods for assessing respiratory functions that are independent of collaboration, non-invasive, specific, differentiating, and sensitive.
• To define new characteristic quantities for pulmonary function analysis.
• To demonstrate the limitations of single measurements and advocate for continuous monitoring.

Summary:

• New measuring techniques, including mainstream oxygen/carbon dioxide detection and continuous pulmonary impedance assessment, are presented.
• These tools reveal that the Tiffeneau maneuver significantly impacts bronchial system properties.
• Continuous measurement over a period, termed a bronchogram, is proposed for comprehensive bronchial system characterization, potentially replacing risky provocation tests.
• Long-term instabilities in the bronchial system can be detected using a longterm-bronchogram.
• A novel skin detector for measuring intracutaneous oxygen partial pressure and skin oxygen conductivity is also introduced.

Impact:

• The proposed continuous monitoring (bronchogram) offers increased sensitivity, potentially rendering risky provocation tests unnecessary.
• Detection of long-term instabilities in the bronchial system is possible, analogous to long-term electrocardiograms.
• The developed methods and tools provide new possibilities for functional analysis of the respiratory system and skin oxygenation.