Continuous Weight Monitoring System for ICU Beds using Air-filled Mattresses/Pads: A Proof of Concept

Abstract

Fluctuations in body fluids can have adverse effects such as dehydration, swelling and related pathologies due to low maintenance of homeostasis. The risk increases if the person is critically ill and bed-ridden. Changes in body weight in short intervals is the primary indicator for body fluid imbalances. Clinical practice involves the use of a dedicated weighing scale/lift scale, detachable/built-in units of weighing scale on the legs of hospital beds and integrated bed scales. These methods have limited mobility and usability in a clinical setting or higher cost. We propose a novel sensing module integrated with air-filled mattress for monitoring human body weight at periodic intervals. The method uses the air pressure of a mattress as a measure of changes in weight. The design was made modular so that it can be easily coupled into any hospital beds. A linear fit with R <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> =0.98 and R <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> = 0.99 was obtained respectively for an air-filled pillow and air-filled mattress with the coefficient of variance of 5% to 9%. Initial experiments are performed for an air pillow, and later extended to adult size air filled mattress.