Abstract
The present paper presents a dual system that can be used to measure and to generate non-nutritive sucking (NNS) signals. The NNS measurement is based on a pressure sensor that is pneumatically connected to a silicone pacifier. By its turn, the NNS stimulator is based on a miniature pump and a miniature electro-valve that are operated by opposite phased signals to produce the pulsed pressure signal that is pneumatically applied to the silicone pacifier. The paper highlights some specific issues related with the calibration of the pneumatic signal measuring chain. Processing and wireless transmission capabilities are provided by a low-cost solution based on a microcontroller. Calibration and experimental results are also included in the paper.
Highlights
Measurement of non-nutritive sucking signals in neonatology services, namely in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), is a very important topic
The non-nutritive sucking (NNS) measurement is based on a pressure sensor that is pneumatically connected to a silicone pacifier
The sucking pressure measurement (SPM) unit performs the signal conditioning of the electrical signal delivered by the pneumatic pressure sensor and the sucking pressure stimulator (SPS) unit generates the sucking signal patterns that are applied to the silicone pacifier
Summary
Measurement of non-nutritive sucking signals in neonatology services, namely in neonatal intensive care units (NICU), is a very important topic. This topic has a strong clinical appeal and a different NNS related subjects had been studied in the last 20 years highlighting the relationship between NNS behavior and baby's physiological variables. The paper focusses some issues related with calibration [3,4,5,6,7] that is an essential concern whenever low amplitude measurements are at stage
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