Using LabVIEW to monitor respiration rate for sleep study

Respiratory rate is the necessary parameter in the analysis of sleep disorders and various respiratory diseases. In sleep studies, presence of respiration is detected but there is no attempt to calculate respiration rate which is an important parameter for the assessment of respiratory disorders. Hence there is no opportunity to detect the abnormalities. We developed a virtual instrument in LabVIEW making use of the piezoelectric sensor. Respiration is sensed through the sensor by the displacement of the chest and abdomen during the breathing process. These signals are converted to measured waveform without loss of the original signal. Any abnormalities can be detected by using a threshold level individually for each case. This acquired parameter is also transmitted to the physician’s mail during emergency and need. The system is able to monitor the patient continuously for hours. The system is further developed to have user authentication, data storage and retrieval application.