title: Remote sensing of multiple vital signs using a CMOS camera-equipped infrared thermography system and its clinical application in rapidly screening patients with suspected infectious diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infrared thermography (IRT) is used to screen febrile passengers at international airports, but it suffers from low sensitivity. This study explored the application of a combined visible and thermal image processing approach that uses a CMOS camera equipped with IRT to remotely sense multiple vital signs and screen patients with suspected infectious diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  An IRT system that produced visible and thermal images was used for image acquisition. The subjects' respiration rates were measured by monitoring temperature changes around the nasal areas on thermal images; facial skin temperatures were measured simultaneously. Facial blood circulation causes tiny color changes in visible facial images that enable the determination of the heart rate. A logistic regression discriminant function predicted the likelihood of infection within 10s, based on the measured vital signs. Sixteen patients with an influenza-like illness and 22 control subjects participated in a clinical test at a clinic in Fukushima, Japan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The vital-sign-based IRT screening system had a sensitivity of 87.5% and a negative predictive value of 91.7%; these values are higher than those of conventional fever-based screening approaches.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple vital-sign-based screening efficiently detected patients with suspected infectious diseases. It offers a promising alternative to conventional fever-based screening.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan. Electronic address: Guanghao.Sun@uec.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Guanghao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Sumiyakhand
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dagdanpurev
authors.affiliation: Takasaka Clinic, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Virus Research Center, Sendai Medical Center, National Hospital Organization, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidekazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications, 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirimoto
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of System Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takemi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005334:Fever / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D009666:Nose; D010781:Photography / Q000295:instrumentation; D058998:Remote Sensing Technology; D012881:Skin Temperature; D013817:Thermography / Q000295:instrumentation
keywords: Fever screening; Infection control; Mass screening; Thermography; Vital signs