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A collaborative project of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital has presented a new non-invasive method to monitor patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The system consists in an algorithm to assess the activity of respiratory muscles and thus establish the degree of weakening caused by pathologies like COPD.

The method proposed by the IBEC Biomedical Signal Processing and Interpretation group can improve monitoring of patients with this type of diseases. Raimon Jané, head researcher of the group, explains: “At the moment, COPD has no cure, but with treatment and rehabilitation patients can increase their muscular activity and compensate for the pulmonary obstruction”. Using sensors on the patient’s chest, the new method measures mechanical activity while breathing (lateral vibration of the diaphragm) and evaluates the muscular effort reliably without interference from heart signals.   

COPD is the most common respiratory disease and is mainly caused by tobacco smoking. It causes inflamed bronchia and destroys alveolar walls, which are the structures that transfer oxygen to blood. Those who suffer from this disease, therefore, have difficulty breathing.

The study on this non-invasive method was published in the open-access journal Plos One. The new system has advantages over the traditional method because it monitors patients in a way that is comfortable and doesn’t require their collaboration.

More information is available on the IBEC website.

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