CPC A61B 5/6822 (2013.01) [A61B 5/0205 (2013.01); A61B 5/021 (2013.01); A61B 5/029 (2013.01); A61B 5/0531 (2013.01); A61B 5/256 (2021.01); A61B 5/28 (2021.01); A61B 5/6823 (2013.01); A61B 5/6831 (2013.01); A61B 5/7225 (2013.01); A61B 5/746 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
1. A sensor for measuring respiratory rate (RR) from a patient, the sensor comprising:
a sensing portion having a flexible housing;
an elongated securement member extending from the sensing portion and configured to position the sensing portion against the sternal portion of the patient's chest for measurements made by the sensor,
at least one pair of electrode contact points disposed within the flexible housing, with each pair of electrode contact points comprising a current-injecting electrode contact point and a voltage-sensing electrode contact point;
an analog electrocardiogram (ECG) circuit disposed within the flexible housing and in electrical contact with said at least one pair of electrode contact points, the ECG circuit configured to generate an analog ECG waveform based on sensed voltage;
an analog impedance circuit disposed within the flexible housing and in electrical contact with said at least one pair of electrode contact points, the impedance circuit being configured to generate an analog impedance waveform based on sensed voltage;
a digital processing system disposed within the flexible housing and comprising a microprocessor and an analog-to-digital converter, the digital processing system being configured to: 1) digitize the analog ECG waveform to generate a digital ECG waveform, and 2) digitize the analog impedance waveform to generate a digital impedance waveform; and
a respiration-monitoring system disposed within the flexible housing and configured with a first algorithm, which first algorithm collectively processes the digital impedance and digital ECG waveforms to determine a value of RR.
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