Patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be monitored for their breathing pattern by using smart shirt
A smart shirt that measures lung function by sensing movements in the chest and abdomen has proved to be accurate when compared to traditional testing equipment, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress.
Researchers have used the smart shirts, together with a mobile app, to reliably measure breathing in healthy people while carrying out a range of everyday activities.
COPD is a growing problem with around 64 million people suffering with the condition worldwide. When patients suffer an increase in their symptoms, such as coughing and breathlessness, they need to be monitored more closely. Symptoms first occur during daily activities like climbing stairs and housework, but respiration is hard to monitor in such conditions. This is traditionally done in the clinic with equipment such as an exercise bike, facemask and computer. The equipment is not very practical for measuring everyday activity.
The smart shirt, called the Hexoskin, senses how the fabric stretches when the wearer’s chest expands and contracts and uses these measurements to gauge the volume of air inhaled and exhaled
“Smart shirts are already available, but they tend to be used by professional or amateur sportsmen and women. We wanted to see whether a smart shirt could provide an accurate and more practical alternative for measuring lung function,” said Denise Mannée, a technical physician and PhD candidate at Radboud University Medical Centre in The Netherlands.
The smart shirt, called the Hexoskin, senses how the fabric stretches when the wearer’s chest expands and contracts and uses these measurements to gauge the volume of air inhaled and exhaled. It also records heart rate and movement. A group of 15 healthy volunteers wore a smart shirt while doing everyday activities including lying down, sitting, standing, climbing stairs and vacuuming.
At the same time, the volunteers also wore the equipment traditionally used to measure breathing that includes a face mask and bulky backpack. The volunteers repeated the tasks again wearing both pieces of equipment, to generate a second set of data.
Researchers then compared the measurements recorded using the two techniques and found that the measurements were very similar. Participants said the smart shirts were comfortable and could be worn underneath their normal clothes.
The researchers now plan to repeat tests on the smart shirts with COPD patients, but they believe the technology might also help in other respiratory conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis or after transplantation.
Mrs Mannée added: “Ultimately, we want to improve patients’ quality of life. If we can accurately monitor patients’ symptoms while they go about their normal activities, we might be able to spot problems and treat them sooner, and this in turn could mean less time in hospital.”
