title: [ThorAKUSTIK - a computer-based method to determine the oronasal respiratory flow].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Respiratory flow detection with the aim of detecting sleep-related breathing disorders plays a major role in polysomnography. Due to the fact that pneumotachographs are too bulky and not suitable for measurements during sleep, the ThorAKUSTIK system has been developed. By attaching a noise sensor right next to larynx, it determines the respiratory flow in an acoustic way.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ThorAKUSTIK system as well as a pneumotachograph were applied simultaneously. The correlation between those two methods has been calculated.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated twenty male subjects. All of them were non-smokers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ThorAKUSTIK-System showed a highly positive correlation (r = 0.89 to 0.91; p < 0.01) and was able to measure the respiratory flow in a reliable way.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ThorAKUSTIK-System allows a long-term live monitoring and has the potential to be used in several clinical departments. Larger studies are necessary to verify the application in the clinical routine.
authors.affiliation: ThoraTech GmbH, Anwenderzentrum Medizintechnik, Gießen.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sohrabi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schudt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scholtes
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Balzer
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hildebrandt
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Koehler
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gross
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001314:Auscultation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013018:Sound Spectrography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult