Non-contact monitoring in neonatology.

OBJECTIVE

To present and critically evaluate current contactless monitoring modalities - infrared thermography (IRT), photoplethysmography imaging (PPGI), ballistocardiography (BCG), radar-based techniques, seismocardiography - in neonatology and to assess their technical capabilities, clinical relevance and potential integration into multimodal monitoring systems.

METHODS

A systematic overview of measuring vital parameters in preterm infants. Description of underlying measurement principles, performance metrics and characteristics.

RESULTS

IRT enables non-invasive measurement of respiratory rate and thermal distribution. PPG-I provides reliable measurement of heart rate and perfusion. With BCG, radar, and seismocardiography, contactless monitoring of susceptibility to movement and positional changes is possible. Hybrid approaches combining IRT and PPG-i improved accuracy through multimodal data fusion. High-resolution, video-based motion analysis integrated with machine learning shows additional promise for the early detection of neurological abnormalities.

CONCLUSION

Contactless monitoring techniques hold considerable potential to enhance minimal handling, minimize skin trauma, and decrease false alarms. Continued development of integrated multimodal systems - addressing regulatory requirements, safety considerations, and interoperability - will be essential to establishing future standards for monitoring high-risk and preterm infants.