Monitoring System for Pediatric Patients

A pediatric version of the LifeShirt monitoring system allows doctors and researchers to monitor physiologic data on young patients, aged five to 17, in a variety of settings.

The LifeShirt is an easy-to-wear washable shirt with embedded sensors and a patient diary that captures a continuous "movie” of heart function, posture, and physical activity similar to the monitoring provided in the intensive care unit of a hospital. Applications include detection of respiratory problems and apnea. New clinical guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that children who habitually snore be screened for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). With the Lifeshirt, children can be easily monitored in the comfort and convenience of their own beds. The system is also a new monitoring option for pharmaceutical researchers testing new drug therapies in children.

"As a physician in pediatrics, I believe the LifeShirt System can have a profound impact on doctors' ability to better screen their pediatric patients for sleep disorders, asthma, respiratory conditions, cystic fibrosis, and a number of other conditions,” said Dr. Chris Landon, pediatric pulmonologist and director of the Pediatric Diagnostic Center in Ventura, CA (USA).

Researchers at Stanford University (Stanford, CA, USA) are using the system to conduct an evaluation of multi-modal treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma-related symptoms in children. University of Washington (St. Louis, MO, USA) researchers are using the system to examine the psychophysiologic markers of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). LifeShirt is the product of VivoMetrics (Ventura, CA, USA).