LI-Care: A LabVIEW and IoT Based eHealth Monitoring System

This paper presents a Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) and Internet of Things (IoT)-based eHealth monitoring system called LI-Care to facilitate the diagnosis of the health condition cost-effectively. The system measures the heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, oxygen level, and breathing rate, and provides an electrocardiogram (ECG). The required sensors are integrated on a web-based application that keeps track of the essential parameters and gives an alarm indication if one or more physiological parameters go beyond the safe level. It also employs a webcam to obtain the patient view at any time. LabVIEW enables the effortless interfacing of various biomedical sensors with the computer and provides high-speed data acquisition and interactive visualizations. It also provides a web publishing tool to access the interactive window remotely through a web browser. The web-based application is accessible to doctors who are experts in that particular field. They can obtain the real-time reading and directly perform a diagnosis. The parameters measured by the proposed system were validated using the traditional measurement systems, and the Root Mean Square (RMS) errors were obtained for the various parameters. The maximum RMS error as a percentage was 0.159%, which was found in the temperature measurement, and its power consumption is 1 Watt/h. The other RMS errors were 0.05% in measurement of systolic pressure, 0.029% in measurement of diastolic pressure, 0.059% in measurement of breathing rate, 0.002% in measurement of heart rate, 0.076% in measurement of oxygen level, and 0.015% in measurement of ECG. The low RMS errors and ease of deployment make it an attractive alternative for traditional monitoring systems. The proposed system has potential applications in hospitals, nursing homes, remote monitoring of the elderly, non-contact monitoring, etc.

Evaluating the Role of Breathing Guidance on Game-Based Interventions for Relaxation Training

Working in a fast-paced environment can lead to shallow breathing, which can exacerbate stress and anxiety. To address this issue, this study aimed to develop micro-interventions that can promote deep breathing in the presence of stressors. First, we examined two types of breathing guides to help individuals learn deep breathing: providing their breathing rate as a biofeedback signal, and providing a pacing signal to which they can synchronize their breathing. Second, we examined the extent to which these two breathing guides can be integrated into a casual game, to increase enjoyment and skill transfer. We used a 2 × 2 factorial design, with breathing guide (biofeedback vs. pacing) and gaming (game vs. no game) as independent factors. This led to four experimental groups: biofeedback alone, biofeedback integrated into a game, pacing alone, and pacing integrated into a game. In a first experiment, we evaluated the four experimental treatments in a laboratory setting, where 30 healthy participants completed a stressful task before and after performing one of the four treatments (or a control condition) while wearing a chest strap that measured their breathing rate. Two-way ANOVA of breathing rates, with treatment (5 groups) and time (pre-test, post-test) as independent factors shows a significant effect for time [F(4, 50) = 18.49, p &lt; 0.001, ηtime2=0.27] and treatment [F(4, 50) = 2.54, p = 0.05, η2 = 0.17], but no interaction effects. Post-hoc t-tests between pre and post-test breathing rates shows statistical significance for the game with biofeedback group [t(5) = 5.94, p = 0.001, d = 2.68], but not for the other four groups, indicating that only game with biofeedback led to skill transfer at post-test. Further, two-way ANOVA of self-reported enjoyment scores on the four experimental treatments, with breathing guide and game as independent factors, found a main effect for game [F(1,20)=24.49,p<0.001, ηgame2=0.55], indicating that the game-based interventions were more enjoyable than the non-game interventions. In a second experiment, conducted in an ambulatory setting, 36 healthy participants practiced one of the four experimental treatments as they saw fit over the course of a day. We found that the game-based interventions were practiced more often than the non-game interventions [t (34) = 1.99, p = 0.027, d = 0.67]. However, we also found that participants in the game-based interventions could only achieve deep breathing 50% of the times, whereas participants in the non-game groups succeeded 85% of the times, which indicated that the former need adequate training time to be effective. Finally, participant feedback indicated that the non-game interventions were better at promoting in-the-moment relaxation, whereas the game-based interventions were more successful at promoting deep breathing during stressful tasks.

High frequency band limits in spectral analysis of heart rate variability in preterm infants

Objectives The current study aims to assess different high-frequency (HF) band power calculations based on different frequency bandwidth values, and compare them with the time domain the root mean square of successive RR differences (RMSSD) value in preterm infants. Methods At week 32, electrocardiogram (ECG) and breathing rate (BR) were recorded for 24 h on 30 preterm infants born between 28 and 32 weeks. The recording held in the neonatal intensive care unit without any interruption of routine. Results The median 24 h BR was 40–78 breaths per minute. The RMSSD was highly and positively correlated with frequency bands that were based on each preterms BR range, or on a constant frequency with band limits of 0.4–2 Hz. Conclusions At week 32, HF band Hz limits should be calculated based on each child’s breathing rate, generally between 0.4 and 2 Hz.

Smart Face Mask with an Integrated Heat Flux Sensor for Fast and Remote People’s Healthcare Monitoring

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted a large amount of challenges to address. To combat the spread of the virus, several safety measures, such as wearing face masks, have been taken. Temperature controls at the entrance of public places to prevent the entry of virus carriers have been shown to be inefficient and inaccurate. This paper presents a smart mask that allows to monitor body temperature and breathing rate. Body temperature is measured by a non-invasive dual-heat-flux system, consisting of four sensors separated from each other with an insulating material. Breathing rate is obtained from the temperature changes within the mask, measured with a thermistor located near the nose. The system communicates by means of long-range (LoRa) backscattering, leading to a reduction in average power consumption. It is designed to establish the relative location of the smart mask from the signal received at two LoRa receivers installed inside and outside an access door. Low-cost LoRa transceivers with WiFi capabilities are used in the prototype to collect information and upload it to a server. Accuracy in body temperature measurements is consistent with measurements made with a thermistor located in the armpit. The system allows checking the correct placement of the mask based on the recorded temperatures and the breathing rate measurements. Besides, episodes of cough can be detected by sudden changes in thermistor temperature.

Accuracy and Reliability of the Optoelectronic Plethysmography and the Heart Rate Systems for Measuring Breathing Rates Compared with the Spirometer.

Measuring breathing rates without a mouthpiece is of interest in clinical settings. Electrocardiogram devices and, more recently, optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP) methods can estimate breathing rates with only a few electrodes or motion-capture markers placed on the patient. This study estimated and compared the accuracy and reliability of three non-invasive devices: an OEP system with 12 markers, an electrocardiogram device and the conventional spirometer. Using the three devices simultaneously, we recorded 72 six-minute epochs on supine subjects. Our results show that the OEP system has a very low limit of agreement and a bias lower than 0.4% compared with the spirometer, indicating that these devices can be used interchangeably. We observed comparable results for electrocardiogram devices. The OEP system facilitates breathing rate measurements and offers a more complete chest-lung volume analysis that can be easily associated with heart rate analysis without any synchronisation process, for useful features for clinical applications and intensive care.

A prelude to wearable technology for the measurement and restoration of core body temperature and heart rate in athletes suffering from hypothermia

An individual who is in good physical health tends to exhibit an internal core temperature of 37°C and a heart rate of 60–100 beats per minute. Increase in the temperature of the surrounding environment can serve as the basis for the onset of the condition of Hypothermia. Hypothermia acts as one of the most significant barriers being faced by winter athletes and starts initially with an increase in the heart and breathing rate. However, if the condition persists it can lead to reduction in the heart and breathing rate and ultimately results in cardiac failure. Although, jackets are commercially available, they tend to operate manually and furthermore, do not serve the primary purpose of counteracting the condition of hypothermia, particularly experienced by athletes taking part in winter sports. The objective of this study is to design a heating jacket that enables effective counteraction of the condition of Hypothermia. It enables precise measurement of the of core body temperature with the aid of a pyroelectric sensor. Along with this, a pulse rate sensor for detecting the accurate heart rate has been incorporated on the index finger. Five heating pads would get activated to attain optimal temperature, in case the core body temperature of <37°C is detected. If the condition of hypothermia advances to the moderate stage, two additional heating pads will get activated and provide extra warmth to attain normal heart rate along with core body temperature. Overall, this wearable technology serves as a definitive solution to counteract the condition of hypothermia only when the internal parameters exhibit that you actually have it. The results of the study exhibited that this prototype can be utilized for detecting and treating the condition of Hypothermia.