RespiraSense for continuously monitoring respiratory rate

The technology described in this briefing is RespiraSense. It is used for continuously monitoring respiratory rate.

The innovative aspects are that it is motion-tolerant and continuously monitors respiratory rate while a person is walking or changing body position.

The intended place in therapy would be alongside intermittent nurse-led monitoring for people admitted to hospital who are at risk of respiratory compromise and are having over 4 litres per minute of oxygen or are on high flow or non-invasive ventilation treatment. It can be used across multiple indications, including pneumonia, sepsis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure and COVID-19.

The main points from the evidence summarised in this briefing are from 3 studies (1 retrospective observational study and 2 prospective observational studies) including a total of 106 adults. The evidence suggests that RespiraSense can be used to continuously measure respiratory rate in an acute hospital setting and may be able to predict hypoxic and pyrexic events.

Key uncertainties are that the evidence base for RespiraSense is limited and comes from single-centre observational studies that involve a relatively small number of people. Only 1 study was done in the UK.

Experts advised that RespiraSense could be used in an acute ward setting to continuously monitor respiratory rate. However, 2 experts stated that it would not replace the need for other regular clinical observations and 1 expert felt additional respiratory rate monitoring would provide minimal clinical benefit and increased costs. Experts agreed that more evidence is needed to establish the validity of the device and confirm if it works better than other methods of respiratory rate measurement, as well as the effect on clinical outcomes and costs.

The average cost of RespiraSense per person is approximately £76 (based on an estimated average number of people who would use the device for 1 acute care ward).