Evaluation of optoelectronic Plethysmography accuracy and precision in recording displacements during quiet breathing simulation

Opto-electronic Plethysmography (OEP) is a motion analysis system used to measure chest wall kinematics and to indirectly evaluate respiratory volumes during breathing. Its working principle is based on the computation of marker displacements placed on the chest wall. This work aims at evaluating the accuracy and precision of OEP in measuring displacement in the range of human chest wall displacement during quiet breathing. OEP performances were investigated by the use of a fully programmable chest wall simulator (CWS). CWS was programmed to move 10 times its eight shafts in the range of physiological displacement (i.e., between 1 mm and 8 mm) at three different frequencies (i.e., 0.17 Hz, 0.25 Hz, 0.33 Hz). Experiments were performed with the aim to: (i) evaluate OEP accuracy and precision error in recording displacement in the overall calibrated volume and in three sub-volumes, (ii) evaluate the OEP volume measurement accuracy due to the measurement accuracy of linear displacements. OEP showed an accuracy better than 0.08 mm in all trials, considering the whole 2m3 calibrated volume. The mean measurement discrepancy was 0.017 mm. The precision error, expressed as the ratio between measurement uncertainty and the recorded displacement by OEP, was always lower than 0.55%. Volume overestimation due to OEP linear measurement accuracy was always <; 12 mL (<; 3.2% of total volume), considering all settings.