A Comparative Analysis Between EDR and Respiration Signal: A Pilot Study with Normal Subjects

Abstract

Respiration is one of the most vital physiological parameters that should be monitored on a regular basis. Certain changes in respiration often indicate physical instability and chronic illness. Respiration monitoring is very important for identifying the presence of obstruction in lungs. Various methods are used for respiration and obstruction monitoring. But in many cases they cannot be applied properly due to unavailability of unobtrusive monitoring system and lack of awareness about the importance of regular respiration monitoring. ECG, on the other hand, is a common test prescribed often in routine medical check-up. Therefore, ECG derived respiration (EDR) can be a useful alternative for monitoring respiration information from ECG. In this study, two types of subject groups- normal without symptoms and normal with symptoms (cold, cough, allergy etc.), were taken for analysis. Features were extracted from both EDR and original respiratory signal acquired from respiration belt and a comparative analysis was done in between them. The result showed that EDR signal can play a vital role for respiratory signal monitoring.