AURA: a new respiratory monitor and apnoea alarm for spontaneously breathing patients.

Previous attempts to introduce non-invasive monitoring of ventilation of spontaneously breathing patients into routine practice have been unsuccessful. The Aberdeen University Respiratory Alarm (AURA) allows such monitoring by utilizing the pyroelectric property of polarized polyvinylidine fluoride sensors to detect temperature changes that occur during breathing into an oxygen delivery face mask. A quartz crystal oscillator generates pulses that allow measurement of interexpiratory time and ventilatory frequency. The system incorporates LED digital displays, a bargraph and audiovisual alarms. An analog output permits display and analysis of the sensed signals. AURA performed satisfactorily in both volunteer studies and six patients in the clinical setting. AURA may be an appropriate respiratory transducer in those patients requiring oxygen therapy.