UNOBTRUSIVE VITAL SIGNS MONITORING FROM A MULTISENSOR BED SHEET

Chronic sleep disorders affect more than 50 million people in the U.S., and there are numerous clinical populations, such as spinal cord injury patients, cognitively-impaired elderly persons living at home, and infants at risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, who could benefit from unobtrusive, long-term monitoring. The prototype SleepSmart sheet is a thin, full-length, multi-sensor mattress pad. It is controlled by software to detect heart rate, breathing rate, body orientation, and index of restlessness. A spectral analysis module is combined with an event detection module to accumulate nightly reports and signal alarms when appropriate. Lab bench testing has confirmed the effectiveness of the sensors and software algorithms; clinical testing is expected to confirm the ability of the SleepSmart sheet to detect vital signs to within ±10% of conventional, wired clinical devices.