Te Hennepe N, Steegh V L J M, Pouw M H, Roukema J, De Kleuver M, Van Hooff M L
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Amalia Children's Hospital, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Spine Deform. 2025 Jan;13(1):101-110. doi: 10.1007/s43390-024-00938-4. Epub 2024 Jul 31.
Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) presents various challenges, including respiratory symptoms that impact pulmonary function. This study aims to explore the feasibility of using a smart shirt for continuous monitoring of lung volumes and heart rate during routine activities in AIS patients.
A single-center exploratory feasibility study was conducted with AIS patients aged 16-22 years with a thoracic curvature of ≥ 30 degrees and absence of respiratory comorbidities. A smart shirt was utilized to continuously monitor cardiopulmonary parameters during mild exercise, which included a standardized walking route with the ascent of multiple stairs.
Five participants completed the study. Baseline spirometry measurements showed a range of values for forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV), and FEV/FVC ratio. During mild exercise, participants exhibited variability in tidal volume, heart rate, breathing rate, and minute ventilation, with increases observed during stair climbing. Breathlessness levels also varied throughout the activity but did not correlate with the measured lung volumes. Overall, the use of the smart shirt for assessing pulmonary function in AIS patients was deemed feasible and well tolerated by participants during the test activities.
The study confirms the feasibility of using a smart shirt for continuous measurement of cardiopulmonary parameters in AIS patients during daily activities. Incongruities between spirometry results and perceived dyspnea exists, which questions the nature of the perceived dyspnea. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore the impact of AIS characteristics on measurement accuracy.
青少年特发性脊柱侧弯（AIS）带来了各种挑战，包括影响肺功能的呼吸症状。本研究旨在探讨在AIS患者日常活动期间使用智能衬衫连续监测肺容量和心率的可行性。
对年龄在16 - 22岁、胸弯≥30度且无呼吸合并症的AIS患者进行了单中心探索性可行性研究。使用智能衬衫在轻度运动期间连续监测心肺参数，轻度运动包括一段带有多个楼梯上升段的标准化步行路线。
五名参与者完成了研究。基线肺活量测定显示用力肺活量（FVC）、第1秒用力呼气量（FEV）和FEV/FVC比值有一系列数值。在轻度运动期间，参与者的潮气量、心率、呼吸频率和分钟通气量存在变化，在爬楼梯时观察到增加。整个活动过程中呼吸困难程度也有所不同，但与测得的肺容量无关。总体而言，在测试活动期间，参与者认为使用智能衬衫评估AIS患者的肺功能是可行的且耐受性良好。
该研究证实了在AIS患者日常活动期间使用智能衬衫连续测量心肺参数的可行性。肺活量测定结果与感知到的呼吸困难之间存在不一致，这对感知到的呼吸困难的性质提出了疑问。需要进一步研究来验证这些发现，并探索AIS特征对测量准确性的影响。
