APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MONITORING RESPIRATION VOLUMES AND SYNCHRONIZATION OF TRIGGERING IN MECHANICAL VENTILATION BY MEASURING THE LOCAL CURVATURE OF THE TORSO SURFACE

摘要

The invention is related to a device and method for monitoring respiration, movements in mechanical ventilation in order to provide a non-pneumatic triggering variable for achieving patient-ventilator asynchrony and continuous measurement of tidal volumes. The method is based on measuring the curvature of the patient's torso surface using a single LPG (Long Period Grating) fiber-optic sensor attached to a surface of the torso in an area having high stiffness of the underlying tissue, such as the area of the lower ribs close to the sternum.