Miniature Acoustic Sensor Monitors Respiration Rate

An acoustic monitoring system noninvasively and continuously measures respiration rate using an innovative adhesive sensor.

The Masimo (Irvine, CA, USA) RAS-45 acoustic respiration sensor for rainbow acoustic monitoring (RAM) uses signal extraction technology (SET) to separate and process the respiratory signal so as to continuously display acoustic respiration rate (RRa). Similar to the Masimo RAS-125c acoustic sensor, it operates with Masimo MX technology boards to display RRa results in an acoustic respiration waveform, with an option that allows clinicians to listen to the sound of the patient breathing.

Both the RAS-45 and the RAS-125c acoustic sensors are intended for adult and pediatric patients who weigh more than 10 kilograms, but the RAS-45 is especially well suited for monitoring pediatric patients and patients with shorter necks. To facilitate placement on and improve attachment to the neck, the RAS-45 sensor is designed with a small, flexible, and transparent adhesive patch. The RAS-45 sensor is recommended for use with the Masimo Root patient monitoring and connectivity platform.

“RAM harnesses the power of our breakthrough signal processing technology, using Masimo SET and rainbow technologies, and applies those achievements to a respiratory measurement derived from the sound of breathing,” said Joe Kiani, founder and CEO of Masimo. “With the addition of the RAS-45 sensor, RRa is now a more convenient and comfortable measurement for clinicians and patients, especially children.”

Respiration rate is a critical vital sign that provides early identification of respiratory compromise and patient distress, and is especially important for post-surgical patients receiving patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for pain management. In a study comparing pediatric patient tolerance of sidestream capnography with a nasal cannula to respiration rate monitoring with an RRa acoustic sensor, 15 out of 40 patients removed the cannula, while only one removed the acoustic sensor.