Ann Rehabil Med.  2016 Oct;40(5):955-958. 10.5535/arm.2016.40.5.955.

Development of a Novel Alarm System to Improve Adaptation to Non-invasive Ventilation in Patients With High Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

• Kim SH
• Shin YB
• Jang MH
• Kim SY
• Ro JH

• KMID: 2382930
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5535/arm.2016.40.5.955

Abstract

In this case report, we want to introduce a successful way of applying non-invasive ventilation (NIV) with a full face mask in patients with high cervical spinal cord injury through a novel alarm system for communication. A 57-year-old man was diagnosed with C3 American Spinal Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) B. We applied NIV for treatment of hypercapnia. Because of mouth opening during sleep, a full face mask was the only way to use NIV. However, he could not take off the mask by himself, and this situation caused great fear. To solve this problem, we designed a novel alarm system. The best intended motion of the patient was neck rotation. Sensing was performed by a balloon sensor placed under the head of the patient. A beep sound was generated whenever the pressure was above the threshold, and more than three consecutive beeps within 3,000 ms created a loud alarm for caregivers.

Keyword

Noninvasive ventilation; Spinal cord injuries; Hypercapnia

MeSH Terms

Caregivers
Cervical Cord*
Head
Humans
Hypercapnia
Masks
Middle Aged
Mouth
Neck
Noninvasive Ventilation*
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal Injuries

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Air leakage through the mouth during nasal mask ventilation.

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  Fig. 2 The alarm system. (A) A schematic diagram of the alarm system. (B) An actual photograph of the components.

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  Fig. 3 The alarm system which detects the intended neck rotation motion by the pressure variation of a balloon placed under the head of the patient during full face mask ventilation.

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