Continuous non-contact vital sign monitoring of neonates in intensive care units using RGB-D cameras

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Abstract Neonates in intensive care require continuous monitoring. Current measurement devices are limited for long-term use due to the fragility of newborn skin and the interference of wires with medical care and parental interactions. Camera-based vital sign monitoring has the potential to address these limitations and has become of considerable interest in recent years due to the absence of physical contact between the recording equipment and the neonates, as well as the introduction of low-cost devices. We present a novel system to capture vital signs while offering clinical insights beyond current technologies using a single RGB-D camera. Heart rate and oxygen saturation were measured using colour and infrared signals with mean absolute errors (MAE) of 7.69 bpm and 3.37 %, respectively. Using the depth signals, an MAE of 4.83 breaths per minute was achieved for respiratory rate. Tidal volume measurements were obtained with a MAE of 0.61 ml. Flow-volume loops can also be calculated from camera data, which have applications in respiratory disease diagnosis. Our system demonstrates promising capabilities for neonatal monitoring, augmenting current clinical recording techniques to potentially improve outcomes for neonates.
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Continuous non-contact vital sign monitoring of neonates in intensive care units using RGB-D cameras | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Continuous non-contact vital sign monitoring of neonates in intensive care units using RGB-D cameras Silas Ruhrberg Estévez, Alex Grafton, Lynn Thomson, Joana Warnecke, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5782031/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 May, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Neonates in intensive care require continuous monitoring. Current measurement devices are limited for long-term use due to the fragility of newborn skin and the interference of wires with medical care and parental interactions. Camera-based vital sign monitoring has the potential to address these limitations and has become of considerable interest in recent years due to the absence of physical contact between the recording equipment and the neonates, as well as the introduction of low-cost devices. We present a novel system to capture vital signs while offering clinical insights beyond current technologies using a single RGB-D camera. Heart rate and oxygen saturation were measured using colour and infrared signals with mean absolute errors (MAE) of 7.69 bpm and 3.37 %, respectively. Using the depth signals, an MAE of 4.83 breaths per minute was achieved for respiratory rate. Tidal volume measurements were obtained with a MAE of 0.61 ml. Flow-volume loops can also be calculated from camera data, which have applications in respiratory disease diagnosis. Our system demonstrates promising capabilities for neonatal monitoring, augmenting current clinical recording techniques to potentially improve outcomes for neonates. Health sciences/Health care/Medical imaging/Whole body imaging Physical sciences/Engineering/Biomedical engineering Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files MeerkatPaperSupplementaryInfo3.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 May, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Accepted 29 Apr, 2025 Reviews received at journal 06 Apr, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Apr, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 03 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 27 Mar, 2025 First submitted to journal 25 Mar, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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