Methods for real-time evaluation of respiratory rate
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of thermal and video imaging methods and comparison with standard methods for real-time measurement of respiratory rate in children undergoing sleep studies
IRAS ID
128398
Contact name
Heather Elphick
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
In the emergency department, a sick child is usually seen first by a nurse. Her job is to quickly assess how sick the child is and what immediate care is needed. The nurse will usually use simple electronic devices to check vital signs, such as body temperature, pulse rate and blood oxygen levels. However, she normally has to manually count the respiration rate (this is the number of breaths taken each minute) because there is no simple device which can do this automatically.
Knowing the respiration rate is very important because if it is not normal, the nurse knows that the child may be seriously ill. Counting the respiration rate of sick children can be difficult and takes up a lot of time, especially if the child is upset, crying or moving about.
To overcome this problem we are using two devices, a thermal imaging camera and a video camera which can automatically measure respiration rates in children. The thermal imaging camera works by sensing changes in the temperature of the air coming from the nose and the video camera monitors chest movements. Neither camera comes in contact with the child and so do not add any additional distress. The standard methods used on the sleep unit are attached to the child’s body but provide the most accurate readings in the sleeping child. These methods would not be used in the Emergency department but are valuable for comparison in this research study to assess accuracy of the camera devices. So far, the suggested methods have been shown to
work in a laboratory at the university.In the future, we aim to develop a device using one or a combination of the techniques described which will enable nurses to easily measure each child’s respiratory rate so that the most seriously ill children will be
identified earlier and get correct treatment more quickly. This will ensure that the right children get admitted to intensive care units sooner and, in some cases, child deaths will be prevented.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/YH/0316
Date of REC Opinion
21 Oct 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion