In this article, we briefly describe the design, construction, and functional verification of a hybrid multichannel fiber-optic sensor system for basic vital sign monitoring. This sensor uses a novel non-invasive measurement probe based on the fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The probe is composed of two FBGs encapsulated inside a polydimethylsiloxane polymer (PDMS). The PDMS is non-reactive to human skin and resistant to electromagnetic waves, UV absorption, and radiation. We emphasize the construction of the probe to be specifically used for basic vital sign monitoring such as body temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate. The proposed sensor system can continuously process incoming signals from up to 128 individuals. We first present the overall design of this novel multichannel sensor and then elaborate on how it has the potential to simplify vital sign monitoring and consequently improve the comfort level of patients in long-term health care facilities, hospitals and clinics. The reference ECG signal was acquired with the use of standard gel electrodes fixed to the monitored person’s chest using a real-time monitoring system for ECG signals with virtual instrumentation. The outcomes of these experiments have unambiguously proved the functionality of the sensor system and will be used to inform our future research in this fast developing and emerging field.

The publication presents a comparative study of two fibre-optic sensors in the application of heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) monitoring of the human body. After consultation with clinical practitioners, two types of non-invasive measuring and analysis systems based on fibre Bragg grating (FBG) and fibre-optic interferometer (FOI) have been designed and assembled. These systems use probes (both patent pending) that have been encapsulated in the bio-compatible polydimethylsiloxane (PMDS). The main advantage of PDMS is that it is electrically non-conductive and, as well as optical fibres, has low permeability. The initial verification measurement of the system designed was performed on four subjects in a harsh magnetic resonance (MR) environment under the supervision of a senior radiology assistant. A follow-up comparative study was conducted, upon a consent of twenty volunteers, in a laboratory environment with a minimum motion load and discussed with a head doctor of the Radiodiagnostic Institute. The goal of the laboratory study was to perform measurements that would simulate as closely as possible the environment of harsh MR or the environment of long-term health care facilities, hospitals and clinics. Conventional HR and RR measurement systems based on ECG measurements and changes in the thoracic circumference were used as references. The data acquired was compared by the objective Bland–Altman (B–A) method and discussed with practitioners. The results obtained confirmed the functionality of the designed probes, both in the case of RR and HR measurements (for both types of B–A, more than 95% of the values lie within the ±1.96 SD range), while demonstrating higher accuracy of the interferometric probe (in case of the RR determination, 95.66% for the FOI probe and 95.53% for the FBG probe, in case of the HR determination, 96.22% for the FOI probe and 95.23% for the FBG probe).

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