Development Of Respiratory Function Monitor For Neonates

Approximately, 10 million babies do not breathe immediately at birth and some of them require positive pressure ventilation. However, inappropriate and excessive tidal volume delivery could lead to lung injury in neonatal patients. We developed a respiratory function monitor which can monitor mask leak, expiratory tidal volume, respiratory rate, peak inspiratory pressure, and end-tidal CO2 on a real-time basis. A neonatal flow sensor was specially designed and was integrated with a small mainstream capnometer, cap-ONE. Usability was enhanced by using a tablet for the display of the monitored parameters. The basic performance evaluation using a neonatal training test lung shows that the respiratory function monitor effectively detects mask leak. The system may help healthcare providers to efficiently support neonatal patients start breathing.