Monitoring Apnea in the Elderly by an Electromechanical System with a Carbon Nanotube-based Sensor
Background: Breathing, a part of respiration, is one of the vital functions. Breathing disorders are common in the elderly. An effective breathing sensor for real-time detection of apnea is important in clinical critical care. We aimed to construct a real-time warning platform with a combination of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency and Critical Medicine (TSGECM)
2013-09-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Gerontology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1873959813000057 |
| _version_ | 1819231198921097216 |
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| author | Hung-Chang Liu Yu-Jen Chen Ying-Chen Lu Chien-Liang Wu Wen-Chieh Huang Jung-Tang Huang |
| author_facet | Hung-Chang Liu Yu-Jen Chen Ying-Chen Lu Chien-Liang Wu Wen-Chieh Huang Jung-Tang Huang |
| author_sort | Hung-Chang Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Breathing, a part of respiration, is one of the vital functions. Breathing disorders are common in the elderly. An effective breathing sensor for real-time detection of apnea is important in clinical critical care. We aimed to construct a real-time warning platform with a combination of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and related nano-electromechanical system (NEMS) for elderly care.
Methods: Through a specific acid-treated procedure, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were immobilized on a thin silicon dioxide (SiO2) film, coated on a heated silicon wafer. Techniques of photolithography and sputtering with chromium and gold were then implemented on the MWCNT film to develop micro-interdigitated electrodes as a base for the breathing sensor. The sensor was equipped with a programmed microchip processor to become a warning detector for abnormal human breathing, namely less than six breaths per minute. Elderly volunteers were enrolled for examining the effective sensitivity of this novel electromechanical device.
Results: There were 15 elderly volunteers (9 males and 6 females) tested in this experiment. The dynamic analyses of the MWCNT sensor to exhaled breath showed that it had characteristics of rapid response, high aspect ratio, small tip ratio, and high electrical conductivity. Responses of the MWCNT sensor to exhaled breath was recorded according to different performance parameters, i.e., strength, frequency, flow rate, and breath components. In this study, variable pattern-simulated tests showed that a MWCNT sensor combined with a processor could accurately evoke warning signals (100% of sensitivity rate), indicating its effectiveness and usefulness for detecting abnormal breathing rates, especially apnea.
Conclusion: Our results showed that a new device composed of an NEMS by combining an MWCNT sensor and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits could be integrated to effectively detect apnea in the elderly. This novel device may improve the pattern of safe respiratory care for the elderly in the future. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T11:41:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6ec8cb0190b94917947cd16619f48883 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1873-9598 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T11:41:09Z |
| publishDate | 2013-09-01 |
| publisher | Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency and Critical Medicine (TSGECM) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Gerontology |
| spelling | doaj.art-6ec8cb0190b94917947cd16619f488832022-12-21T17:48:29ZengTaiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency and Critical Medicine (TSGECM)International Journal of Gerontology1873-95982013-09-017314715110.1016/j.ijge.2013.01.004Monitoring Apnea in the Elderly by an Electromechanical System with a Carbon Nanotube-based SensorHung-Chang Liu0Yu-Jen Chen1Ying-Chen Lu2Chien-Liang Wu3Wen-Chieh Huang4Jung-Tang Huang5Graduate Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROCDepartment of Medical Research, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROCGraduate Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROCInternal Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROCThoracic Surgery, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROCGraduate Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, ROCBackground: Breathing, a part of respiration, is one of the vital functions. Breathing disorders are common in the elderly. An effective breathing sensor for real-time detection of apnea is important in clinical critical care. We aimed to construct a real-time warning platform with a combination of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and related nano-electromechanical system (NEMS) for elderly care. Methods: Through a specific acid-treated procedure, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were immobilized on a thin silicon dioxide (SiO2) film, coated on a heated silicon wafer. Techniques of photolithography and sputtering with chromium and gold were then implemented on the MWCNT film to develop micro-interdigitated electrodes as a base for the breathing sensor. The sensor was equipped with a programmed microchip processor to become a warning detector for abnormal human breathing, namely less than six breaths per minute. Elderly volunteers were enrolled for examining the effective sensitivity of this novel electromechanical device. Results: There were 15 elderly volunteers (9 males and 6 females) tested in this experiment. The dynamic analyses of the MWCNT sensor to exhaled breath showed that it had characteristics of rapid response, high aspect ratio, small tip ratio, and high electrical conductivity. Responses of the MWCNT sensor to exhaled breath was recorded according to different performance parameters, i.e., strength, frequency, flow rate, and breath components. In this study, variable pattern-simulated tests showed that a MWCNT sensor combined with a processor could accurately evoke warning signals (100% of sensitivity rate), indicating its effectiveness and usefulness for detecting abnormal breathing rates, especially apnea. Conclusion: Our results showed that a new device composed of an NEMS by combining an MWCNT sensor and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits could be integrated to effectively detect apnea in the elderly. This novel device may improve the pattern of safe respiratory care for the elderly in the future.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1873959813000057apneabreath sensorcarbon nanotubessensors |
| spellingShingle | Hung-Chang Liu Yu-Jen Chen Ying-Chen Lu Chien-Liang Wu Wen-Chieh Huang Jung-Tang Huang Monitoring Apnea in the Elderly by an Electromechanical System with a Carbon Nanotube-based Sensor International Journal of Gerontology apnea breath sensor carbon nanotubes sensors |
| title | Monitoring Apnea in the Elderly by an Electromechanical System with a Carbon Nanotube-based Sensor |
| title_full | Monitoring Apnea in the Elderly by an Electromechanical System with a Carbon Nanotube-based Sensor |
| title_fullStr | Monitoring Apnea in the Elderly by an Electromechanical System with a Carbon Nanotube-based Sensor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Monitoring Apnea in the Elderly by an Electromechanical System with a Carbon Nanotube-based Sensor |
| title_short | Monitoring Apnea in the Elderly by an Electromechanical System with a Carbon Nanotube-based Sensor |
| title_sort | monitoring apnea in the elderly by an electromechanical system with a carbon nanotube based sensor |
| topic | apnea breath sensor carbon nanotubes sensors |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1873959813000057 |
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