Invention:
University of Arizona researchers have developed a non-invasive device that measures carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration around a person’s face, which has important implications for patients in hospitals and treatment centers. By collecting and analyzing the respiratory gases around a supine subject’s face, the system can provide insights into human physical conditions such as sleep stage and sleep quality.
The mini-CO2 sensor samples concentrations in a range of 0 to 50,000 ppm with 1 reading per second and ± 70 ppm accuracy. A three-dimensional CO2 bubble is visualized with a continuous estimation of CO2 concentration inside the bubble based on real-time data. Caregivers can use this information to help guide diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making.
Background:
The mini sensor ‘canopy’ suspension system simultaneously solves the problem of invasive monitoring while offering a range of diagnostics that are simply unavailable in most current methods. It is applicable to triage systems, sleep studies, surgeries, and emergency/non-emergency patient monitoring.
Current methods of monitoring the CO2 concentration in human respiratory gas mainly rely on respiratory masks or transcutaneous measurement. These cannot detect the natural CO2 accumulation of both respiration and the gas distribution in a room environment. Other methods, such as wall-mounted environment CO2 sensors, are limited by distance and do not provide a three-dimensional CO2distribution around the subject’s face.
Applications:
- Three-dimensional CO2 mapping
- Emergency and non-emergency monitoring
- Sleep stage and quality analysis
Advantages:
- Non-invasive
- Repositionable
- Multifunctional
