Evaluación de sensores de bajo costo en sábana para monitoreo de cuidados paliativos.
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universidad de Concepción
Abstract
Los cuidados paliativos buscan mejorar la calidad de vida de pacientes con enfermedades avanzadas e incurables, siendo frecuente su implementación en el hogar para brindar mayor comodidad. Sin embargo, la ausencia de monitoreo continuo dificulta la evaluación del estado de salud en tiempo real, limitando la capacidad de respuesta ante eventos clínicos relevantes.
Esta memoria de título aborda el desarrollo de un dispositivo de monitoreo no invasivo y de bajo costo, basado en una sábana con sensores de presión fabricados con Velostat, orientado a pacientes en cuidados paliativos. Este sistema busca registrar variables fisiológicas, como la frecuencia respiratoria, los movimientos corporales, el tiempo en cama, y la detección de apneas.
Se realizaron pruebas piloto con diez voluntarios, acumulando más de 454 horas de registro con la sábana con sensores Velostat y 68 horas con la sábana de referencia basada en sensores FSR. Los resultados muestran que el dispositivo desarrollado es eficaz en la detección de la permanencia en cama y de los movimientos corporales, logrando un desempeño comparable al del sistema basado en sensores FSR comerciales, pero con una ventaja en términos de costo y accesibilidad. Mientras que un sensor FSR tiene un valor superior a $18.000 CLP, un sensor Velostat puede fabricarse por menos de $400 CLP, lo que no solo reduce drásticamente el costo total del sistema, sino que además permite reemplazos rápidos y económicos en caso de fallas, garantizando la continuidad del monitoreo sin afectar la facilidad de uso ni la comodidad del paciente.
Aunque la sensibilidad del Velostat en la detección respiratoria y de apneas es inferior a la de los FSR, el dispositivo muestra relevancia clínica en aplicaciones donde el seguimiento de la postura y la movilidad es importante, como la prevención de lesiones por presión en pacientes postrados, monitoreo de riesgos de caída, apoyo en entornos postoperatorios y supervisión no invasiva de personas con demencia o discapacidad.
En conclusión, este trabajo valida la implementación de un sistema de monitoreo domiciliario cómodo, escalable y económico, que no solo resulta cómodo para los pacientes, sino que además tiene el potencial de convertirse en una herramienta de ayuda en la atención de personas con enfermedades crónicas y en cuidados paliativos.
Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of patients with advanced and incurable diseases, and its implementation at home is common to provide greater comfort. However, the absence of continuous monitoring hinders the real-time assessment of health status, limiting the ability to respond to relevant clinical events. This thesis addresses the development of a non-invasive and low-cost monitoring device, implemented as a bedsheet with pressure sensors made of Velostat, designed for patients in palliative care. The system aims to record physiological variables such as respiratory rate, body movements, time in bed, and the detection of apneas. Pilot tests were carried out with ten volunteers, accumulating more than 454 hours of recording with the Velostat-based bedsheet and 68 hours with a reference bedsheet using FSR sensors. The results show that the developed device is effective in detecting bed presence and body movements, achieving performance comparable to commercial FSR-based systems, but with a clear advantage in terms of cost and accessibility. While an FSR sensor costs more than 18,000 CLP, a Velostat sensor can be manufactured for less than 400 CLP, which not only drastically reduces the total cost of the system but also allows quick and inexpensive replacements in case of failures, ensuring the continuity of monitoring without compromising ease of use or patient comfort. Although Velostat shows lower sensitivity in detecting respiration and apnea compared to FSR sensors, the device demonstrates clinical relevance in applications where posture and mobility monitoring are critical, such as the prevention of pressure injuries in bedridden patients, fall risk monitoring, support in postoperative settings, and non-invasive supervision of individuals with dementia or disabilities. In conclusion, this work validates the implementation of a comfortable, scalable, and low-cost home monitoring system that not only ensures patient comfort but also has the potential to become a valuable tool in the care of people with chronic diseases and in palliative care.
Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of patients with advanced and incurable diseases, and its implementation at home is common to provide greater comfort. However, the absence of continuous monitoring hinders the real-time assessment of health status, limiting the ability to respond to relevant clinical events. This thesis addresses the development of a non-invasive and low-cost monitoring device, implemented as a bedsheet with pressure sensors made of Velostat, designed for patients in palliative care. The system aims to record physiological variables such as respiratory rate, body movements, time in bed, and the detection of apneas. Pilot tests were carried out with ten volunteers, accumulating more than 454 hours of recording with the Velostat-based bedsheet and 68 hours with a reference bedsheet using FSR sensors. The results show that the developed device is effective in detecting bed presence and body movements, achieving performance comparable to commercial FSR-based systems, but with a clear advantage in terms of cost and accessibility. While an FSR sensor costs more than 18,000 CLP, a Velostat sensor can be manufactured for less than 400 CLP, which not only drastically reduces the total cost of the system but also allows quick and inexpensive replacements in case of failures, ensuring the continuity of monitoring without compromising ease of use or patient comfort. Although Velostat shows lower sensitivity in detecting respiration and apnea compared to FSR sensors, the device demonstrates clinical relevance in applications where posture and mobility monitoring are critical, such as the prevention of pressure injuries in bedridden patients, fall risk monitoring, support in postoperative settings, and non-invasive supervision of individuals with dementia or disabilities. In conclusion, this work validates the implementation of a comfortable, scalable, and low-cost home monitoring system that not only ensures patient comfort but also has the potential to become a valuable tool in the care of people with chronic diseases and in palliative care.
Description
Tesis presentada para optar al título de Ingeniero/a Civil Biomédico.
Keywords
Cuidados paliativos, Ingeniería biomédica, Sensores, Monitoreo fisiológico