Distributed intelligent sensor network for the rehabilitation of Parkinson's patients.

The coordination between locomotion and respiration of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients is reduced or even absent. The degree of this disturbance is assumed to be associated with the disease severity [S. Schiermeier, D. Schäfer, T. Schäfer, W. Greulich, and M. E. Schläfke, "Breathing and locomotion in patients with Parkinson's disease," Eur. J. Physiol., vol. 443, No. 1, pp. 67-71, Jul. 2001]. To enable a long-term and online analysis of the locomotion-respiration coordination for scientific purpose, we have developed a distributed wireless communicating network. We aim to integrate biofeedback protocols with the real-time analysis of the locomotion-respiration coordination in the system to aid rehabilitation of PD patients. The network of sensor nodes is composed of intelligent network operating devices (iNODEs). The miniaturized iNODE contains a continuous data acquisition system based on microcontroller, local data storage, capability of on-sensor digital signal processing in real time, and wireless communication based on IEEE 802.15.4. Force sensing resistors and respiratory inductive plethysmography are applied for motion and respiration sensing, respectively. A number of experiments have been undertaken in clinic and laboratory to test the system. It shall facilitate identification of therapeutic effects on PD, allowing to measure the patients' health status, and to aid in the rehabilitation of PD patients.

[Pulmonary function results in healthy subjects breathing through external stenoses compared to patients with airway obstruction]. / Lungenfunktionsparameter bei experimenteller Stenoseatmung gesunder Probanden im Vergleich zu Patienten mit Atemwegsobstruktion.

We compared body plethysmographic data, flow-volume curves during spontaneous breathing, P0.1 and PETCO2 in healthy subjects breathing through external stenoses (ES) of varying magnitude to the results in patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Inspiratory vital capacity (IVC) remained unchanged by experimental airway stenoses. IVC is mainly determined by the end-expiratory closure of the airways, which only weakly correlates with airway resistance in patients. External stenoses had no effect on the physiological end-expiratory closure of the airways. For the other spirometric parameters the available force of the respiratory muscles and the degree of the experimental stenosis played the major role. The mouth occlusion pressure (P0.1) showed considerably lower variation during ES as well as in COPD patients than total resistance (Rt). There was no increase in intrathoracic gas volume (IGV) causing increased tension of the lungs and the thorax during ES. The well-known correlation between Rt and IGV is attributed to the end-expiratory closure of the airways during increased flow resistance and to "trapped air". It remains open, if and how the expiratory muscles act to overcome the increased resistance. With consideration of the underlying factors of the different lung function measures, the combination and the analysis of the correlation between different values may lead to far-reaching results in lung function testing.