Continuous and Noninvasive Respiration Rate with Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring
Masimo Corporation. (2010).
www.masimo.com/pdf/rra/rra_whitepaper.pdf
Abstract
Respiration rate is an important vital sign. Manual methods of determining respiration rate are intermittent and have proven to be unreliable. Continuous methods have limitations; either they are not accurate or are poorly tolerated by patients. Masimo® Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring solves these challenges by noninvasively and continuously measuring respiration rate using an innovative adhesive sensor with an integrated acoustic transducer that is easily and comfortably applied to the patient’s neck. Using acoustic signal processing that leverages Masimo's patented revolutionary Signal Extraction Technology (SET®), the respiratory signal is separated and processed to display continuous respiration rate (RRa). Clinical studies prove RRa is equivalent to the respiration rate derived from capnography and is well tolerated by patients.
Respiration rate is a key indicator of ventilation. Abnormal respiration rate, either too high (tachypnea), too low (bradypnea), or absent (apnea), is a sensitive indicator of physiologic distress that requires immediate clinical intervention. In spite of its clinical importance, respiration rate is the last core vital sign without a reliable and continuous monitoring method that patients can easily tolerate. The lack of a reliable respiration rate measurement is a major contributor to avoidable adverse events. A retrospective study of over 14,000 cardiopulmonary arrests in acute care hospitals showed 44% were respiratory in origin. In addition, a study by HealthGrades showed respiratory failure, a key Patient Safety Indicator (PSI), has increased in U.S. acute care hospitals. The reported incidence is 17.4 per 1,000 hospital admissions leading to over 15,000 avoidable deaths at a cost to the healthcare system of over $1.8 billion. The high incidence of respiratory-related adverse events associated with the administration of opioids for pain management has led to recommendations by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) to continuously monitor SpO2 and ventilation for all patients receiving narcotic analgesics. The continuous monitoring of respiration rate as an indicator of ventilation is particularly important for patients receiving supplemental oxygen. It is well recognized that changes in oxygen saturation can be delayed following an apneic event in patients receiving supplemental oxygen.
The compelling need for a reliable respiration rate monitor to improve patient safety led Masimo to develop Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring technology.