Monitoring infant respiration using an Eight-channel transthoracic impedance monitor

A special transthoracic electrical impedance infant respiration monitor that can sample eight pairs of electrodes has been used to measure breathing patterns in newborn infants. Quasi-simultaneous recordings have been made and used to determine the breath amplitude and duration of spontaneously occurring apneas during two-hour sessions. Preliminary results from eight infants have shown that breath amplitudes usually vary by factors of six to ten, cardiogenic artifact varies from 6 to 27% of mean breath amplitude for different electrode placements, and the apparent duration of apnea is often different for different electrode pairs.