Since 2019, nursing home chief physician Remi Andersen has been using Vitalthings Somnofy for sleep monitoring. In this article, you will gain insight into examples where measuring respiratory rate led to faster treatment.

All names are anonymized to protect privacy.

Pustefrekvens og urinveisinfeksjon

Heidi, who is 90 years old, mentioned feeling fatigued. Using Somnofy, Dr. Remi was able to monitor her respiratory rate, which had significantly increased at that time. Within 2 days, it had risen by 35%, from 17 to 23 breaths per minute. This provided the doctor with a basis for conducting a more thorough examination, revealing symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Remi then initiated an antibiotic treatment, and within 3 days, the respiratory rate returned to normal. With the assistance of Somnofy, he could continuously monitor her breathing. This allowed for the detection of the urinary tract infection (UTI) one day earlier than usual, thereby sparing her from additional discomfort and pain.

Respiratory Rate as a Pain Expression in Dementia Patients

Bildet viser pustefrekvensen til Kåre (80 år) som viser seg å være engstelig og urolig. Remi oppdaget en økt pustefrekvens, hvor pasienten fortalte om uspesifikke smerter. Dette ga grunnlag for undersøkelse, som viste at vedkommende hadde forstoppelse.

Dementia and communication

Pain related to constipation can be challenging for individuals with dementia to communicate. With Vitalthings Somnofy, it becomes easier to monitor and detect such issues early on.
 

Nursing Home Chief Physician Remi Andersen 

Respiratory Rate and COVID-19

Grethe, aged 91, was diagnosed with COVID-19 but displayed no observable symptoms at the time. However, on the same day that the PCR test came back positive, her respiratory rate increased. Over the course of 3 days, the rate rose by 46%, from 13 to 19 breaths per minute.

She developed a fever on day 5, but her respiratory rate normalized the following night. Over the course of 6 days, her respiratory rate returned to normal after the confirmed infection. This indicates that she had an increased respiratory rate several days before other symptoms of COVID-19 appeared.

A COPD patient contracts COVID-19 and experiences an elevated respiratory rate.

Similar to Grethe (91 years old), this COPD patient showed no observed symptoms of COVID-19 but still tested positive via PCR. The patient was gradually improving but experienced a sudden deterioration after the confirmed infection. The day after testing positive via PCR, the respiratory rate increased by 21%, from 19 to 23 breaths per minute.

The infection impacted the patient's respiration, leading to the need for increased oxygen (1L). Four days after the confirmed infection and oxygen therapy, the respiratory rate returned to normal.

What can we learn from this?

Through these examples, we can observe that the respiratory rate often precedes the progression of the illness. Today, measuring the respiratory rate is the most precise parameter for anticipating the worsening of the condition.

The respiratory rate is often the most critical parameter for:

• Detecting severe medical conditions.

• Identifying deterioration requiring additional medical assistance.

• Noticing progression toward cardiac arrest.

• Preventing the escalation of the illness.

Your Body's Early Warning System

Changes in respiratory rate often precede illness, while other parameters frequently change as a result of the illness.

 

Anesthesiologist Dr. Ole Kristian Forstrønen Thu

Vitalthings Somnofy is not medically approved. Therefore, the sleep monitor is not intended for diagnosing, treating, or preventing illness. Somnofy does not provide alarms for respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and pulse. These features will be available in our upcoming medically approved patient monitor, Vitalthings Guardian M10.

The physician is responsible for the patient and their diagnosis.