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Apparatus and method for monitoring respiration with a pulse oximeter

  • US 6,709,402 B2
  • Filed: 02/22/2002
  • Issued: 03/23/2004
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for monitoring a patient'"'"'s respiration through changes in the patient'"'"'s blood concentrations, said method comprising the steps of:

  • monitoring a portion of perfused tissue to obtain at least one plethysmographic signal;

    processing said at least one plethysmographic signal to obtain pulsatile AC signal component information and substantially non-pulsatile DC signal component information, wherein said non-pulsatile DC signal component information reflects a variability separate from a pulse of a patient;

    determining a relative concentration of arterial blood and venous blood in said tissue based on said DC signal component information; and

    monitoring said relative concentration of arterial and venous blood based on said DC signal component information over time to determine a respiration frequency from increases and decreases in said relative concentration.

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