Gilliam Francis Roosevelt, Ciesielski Robert, Shahinyan Karlen, Shakya Pratistha, Cunsolo John, Panchal Jal Mahendra, Król-Józaga Bartlomiej, Król Monika, Kierul Olivia, Bridges Charles, Shen Christine, Waldman Carly E, Ring Martin, Szepieniec Tomasz, Barnacka Anna, Bhavnani Sanjeev P
Prisma Health USC Medical Group, 115 North Sumter Street, Suite 410, Sumter, 29150, SC, USA.
MindMics, Inc., 86 Sherman Street, Cambridge, 02140, MA, USA.
NPJ Digit Med. 2022 Dec 22;5(1):189. doi: 10.1038/s41746-022-00725-3.
Human bodily mechanisms and functions produce low-frequency vibrations. Our ability to perceive these vibrations is limited by our range of hearing. However, in-ear infrasonic hemodynography (IH) can measure low-frequency vibrations (<20 Hz) created by vital organs as an acoustic waveform. This is captured using a technology that can be embedded into wearable devices such as in-ear headphones. IH can acquire sound signals that travel within arteries, fluids, bones, and muscles in proximity to the ear canal, allowing for measurements of an individual's unique audiome. We describe the heart rate and heart rhythm results obtained in time-series analysis of the in-ear IH data taken simultaneously with ECG recordings in two dedicated clinical studies. We demonstrate a high correlation (r = 0.99) between IH and ECG acquired interbeat interval and heart rate measurements and show that IH can continuously monitor physiological changes in heart rate induced by various breathing exercises. We also show that IH can differentiate between atrial fibrillation and sinus rhythm with performance similar to ECG. The results represent a demonstration of IH capabilities to deliver accurate heart rate and heart rhythm measurements comparable to ECG, in a wearable form factor. The development of IH shows promise for monitoring acoustic imprints of the human body that will enable new real-time applications in cardiovascular health that are continuous and noninvasive.
人体的生理机制和功能会产生低频振动。我们感知这些振动的能力受到听力范围的限制。然而，耳内次声血流动力学成像（IH）可以将重要器官产生的低频振动（<20 Hz）测量为声波形。这是通过一种可嵌入到诸如入耳式耳机等可穿戴设备中的技术来捕捉的。IH可以获取在耳道附近的动脉、液体、骨骼和肌肉中传播的声音信号，从而能够测量个体独特的声谱。我们描述了在两项专门的临床研究中，与心电图记录同时进行的耳内IH数据的时间序列分析所获得的心率和心律结果。我们证明了IH与心电图获取的心跳间期和心率测量值之间具有高度相关性（r = 0.99），并表明IH可以持续监测各种呼吸运动引起的心率生理变化。我们还表明，IH能够区分房颤和窦性心律，其性能与心电图相似。这些结果证明了IH能够以可穿戴的形式提供与心电图相当的准确心率和心律测量。IH的发展有望监测人体的声学印记，从而实现心血管健康方面新的实时、连续且无创的应用。
