Investigation of photoplethysmographs from the anterior fontanelle of neonates

Abstract

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Abstract. Photoplethysmography (PPG) signals have been investigated at a new anatomical site, the anterior fontanelle (ANTF), on the hypothesis that blood supply at this location is preferentially preserved during cases of poor peripheral circulation which might cause the commercial pulse oximeters to fail to estimate accurately arterial blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). Two custom built reflectance PPG sensors have been developed, one for placement on the fontanelle and one on the periphery (foot). A PPG processing system and software were also developed to process the raw PPG signals and to estimate SpO2. A pilot study on sixteen babies, (9 male, 7 female) with a median age of 15.5 days (interquartile range = 46.8 days) and a median weight of 3.15 kg (SD = 0.93kg), on a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has been carried out. PPG signals from the ANTF were of good quality and high signal-to-noise ratio. The amplitudes of the ANTF PPGs were found to be sensitive to changes in amplitude when amplitudes were observed at the reference PPG site. Bland-Altman analysis of the gold standard blood gas analysis reveals that all three sensors are inaccurate at SaO2 < 85-90 %, but the ANTF sensor shows better mean difference than the commercial device. Permanent repository link

A Comparison of Reflective Photoplethysmography for Detection of Heart Rate, Blood Oxygen Saturation, and Respiration Rate at Various Anatomical Locations

“…While many studies have been previously conducted into the placement of PPG sensors for pulse oximetry [5,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17], few studies have been conducted for a suitable location to collect heart rate, SpO 2 , and respiration. Kramer et al [10] developed a new pulse oximeter for use at non-traditional anatomical locations for the measurement of heart rate, SpO 2 , and respiration.…”

Wearable Intracranial Pressure Monitoring Sensor for Infants

“…The cylindrical fontanelle model (diameter: 120 mm, height: 95 mm) has a diamond-shaped opening (3 × 4 cm 2 ) to mimic the opening of anterior fontanelle of infants, and encloses a balloon (Elite, Durex ® , Parsippany, NJ, USA) connected to a computer-controlled pressure pump (OB1, Elveflow, Paris, France) (Figure 1C,D). The typical opening area of the anterior fontanelle in normal infants is known to be 2 × 3 cm 2 [44,45], but considering that the opening area of the bulging fontanelle for ill infants is usually larger than that of healthy infants [46][47][48][49], we have designed the model to have a slightly larger opening (Figure 1C). Pressures from 0 mbar to 220 mbar were applied to the balloon for testing the operational pressure range of the developed fontanelle model.…”

A Novel Photoplethysmography Sensor for Vital Signs Monitoring from the Human Trachea

“…Work previously carried out on designing and constructing flexible reflectance PPG sensors with unusual geometry [11,12] was adapted to produce a sensor fit for the purpose of placing in the human trachea. A custom, flexible, printed circuit board (PCB) and silicone rubber covering were modelled in SolidWorks (Dassault Systèmes, Vélizy-Villacoublay, France).…”