RFID-Sensorized Facemask for Wireless Monitoring of Newborn Breath Temperature during Mild Hypothermia Treatment

Breath monitoring of sedated and under-treatment patients is a key clinical procedure in hospitals. Non-invasive de-vices are preferable to perform a comfortable screening, and they assume greater importance in case the patients are newborns. Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) breath sensors are passive devices that can enable low-invasive and wireless monitoring of respiration. By embedding temperature sensors within their Integrated Circuits (ICs), these devices are compact and can record temperature signals that can be correlated with typical flow-based signals. This paper aims at assessing the feasibility of involving RFID breath sensors for the monitoring of newborns breathing temperature in a real hospital ward. A pediatric disposable facemask was sensorized with a T-match dipole antenna. Following a preliminary evaluation of its electromagnetic performance and safety, in-hospital breath monitoring was performed on a newborn undergoing mild hypothermia treatment. Compared to traditional flow meter measurements, RFID results are promising and the ease-of-use and the wireless transmission of the data permit the monitoring of patients without interfering with the undergoing treatments.