Estimation of Tidal Volume Using Load Cells on a Hospital Bed.

Although respiratory failure is one of the primary causes of admission to intensive care, the importance placed on measurement of respiratory parameters is commonly overshadowed compared to cardiac parameters. With the increased demand for unobtrusive yet quantifiable respiratory monitoring, many technologies have been proposed recently. However, there are challenges to be addressed for such technologies to enable widespread use.

Accurate Ballistocardiogram Based Heart Rate Estimation Using an Array of Load Cells in a Hospital Bed.

The ballistocardiogram (BCG), a cardiac vibration signal, has been widely investigated for continuous monitoring of heart rate (HR). Among BCG sensing modalities, a hospital bed with multi-channel load-cells could provide robust HR estimation in hospital setups. In this work, we present a novel array processing technique to improve the existing HR estimation algorithm by optimizing the fusion of information from multiple channels.

Small animal PET imaging.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is well established as an important research and clinical molecular imaging modality. Although the size differences between humans and rodents create formidable challenges for the application of PET imaging in small animals, advances in technology over the past several years have enabled the translation of this imaging modality to preclinical applications. In this article we discuss the basic principles of PET instrumentation and radiopharmaceuticals, and examine the key factors responsible for the qualitative and quantitative imaging capabilities of small animal PET systems.