Royal Philips has reported that its patented camera-based monitoring technology accurately measures the absolute oxygen saturation of arterial blood (SpO2) without being in contact with the patient.
In the study, which involved 41 healthy adults in care settings without individual adjustments, the technology assessed the light reflected off the foreheads of the subjects to accurately measure the SpO2.
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Measuring the SpO2 is among several other factors evaluated by physicians to detect complications or deterioration.
Existing methods of evaluation require direct contact with the patient’s body, including using sensors on the skin or devices attached to the body which possess the risk of affecting patients with sensitive skin.
Philips Patient Care & Monitoring Solutions CEO Carla Kriwet said: "Vital signs monitoring is crucial across all types of care settings, but for patient populations with specific conditions, managing their care in a less intrusive way is critical in order to avoid unnecessary distress.
"Contactless monitoring solutions will offer clinicians with a way to accurately measure vital signs for patients in a non-obtrusive way, and provide them with the data needed to know when to intervene."
Royal Philips’ camera-based monitoring technology offers an alternative contactless option which emits a cardiovascular pressure wave causing tiny micro-blushes at every heartbeat.
The change cannot be detected by human eye, while Philips’ contactless monitoring algorithms measure the pulse rate by quantifying these changes.
The technology helps to avoid skin damage in fragile patients and provides the option to choose a more physiologically central location with a faster response rate.
Additionally, it also helps in measuring other important factors such as heart rate and respiration rate.
Image: The Phillips’ camera based monitoring technology. Photo: courtesy of courtesy of PRNewsFoto / Koninklijke Philips NV.
