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news.Masimo has announced that a new study published in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia demonstrates that Masimo's rainbow Acoustic Monitoring (RAM) technology for Acoustic Respiration Rate (RRa) rapidly detects changes in respiration rate during general anesthesia with a laryngeal mask airway and spontaneous ventilation, and is helpful in the early identification of patients at risk for adverse outcomes.
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In the study, Dr. Joshua Atkins, M.D., and colleagues from the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, obtained complete data sets from 50 patients undergoing elective urological surgical procedures in the operating room. 1269 minutes of simultaneous data from the pneumotachograph signals and RRa were compared using a Bland-Altman analysis that showed the 95% limits of agreement were -2.1 to 2.2 breaths per minute with a mean error of 0.05 bpm (Bias/Precision of 0.1/1.1 bpm).
The authors report that while accurate monitoring of respiration rate may be useful for the early detection of patient deterioration, "Monitors such as capnometry and thoracic impedance pneumography have significant drawbacks." Known clinical drawbacks of capnometry include patient intolerance and high false alarm rates; limitations of thoracic impedance pneumography include susceptibility to artifact, potential inaccuracy, and inability to detect apnea.
"Under conditions of spontaneous ventilation during general anesthesia, RRa provides accurate estimates of respiratory rate changes over a wide range of respiratory rates," the researchers said, and noted that, "RRa is able to track changes in respiratory rate with minimal delay."
The authors concluded: "To the extent that immediate knowledge of changes in respiratory rate is beneficial in early identification of patients at risk for adverse outcomes, RRa may be a useful clinical monitoring indicator."
Masimo’s RAM technology provides a method of continuous, noninvasive monitoring of respiration rate using an innovative adhesive sensor with an integrated acoustic transducer that is easily and comfortably applied to the patient’s neck. Using acoustic signal processing that leverages Masimo’s patented breakthrough Signal Extraction Technology (SET), the respiratory signal is separated and processed to display continuous acoustic respiration rate (RRa) — enabling earlier detection of respiratory compromise and patient distress.
Several studies have shown RAM is responsive to changes in respiration rate, has similar accuracy to capnography, is superior to capnography in detecting respiratory pause, and has greater patient tolerance than capnography in various patient populations.