Accuracy and reliability of the optoelectronic plethysmography and the heart rate systems for measuring breathing rates compared with the spirometer

Measuring breathing rates without a mouthpiece is of interest in clinical settings. Electrocardiogram devices and, more recently, optoelectronic plethysmography (OEP) methods can estimate breathing rates with only a few electrodes or motion-capture markers placed on the patient. This study estimated and compared the accuracy and reliability of three non-invasive devices: an OEP system with 12 markers, an electrocardiogram device and the conventional spirometer. Using the three devices simultaneously, we recorded 72 six-minute epochs on supine subjects. Our results show that the OEP system has a very low limit of agreement and a bias lower than 0.4% compared with the spirometer, indicating that these devices can be used interchangeably. We observed comparable results for electrocardiogram devices. The OEP system facilitates breathing rate measurements and offers a more complete chest-lung volume analysis that can be easily associated with heart rate analysis without any synchronisation process, for useful features for clinical applications and intensive care.