A novel measurement approach for the measurement of the diaphragmatic contraction by EMG signal.

The study of the biological signals can be essential for discerning the pathological conditions of the human being. Moreover, the investigation of muscle activation, contraction and relaxation are relevant features that provide information about the functionality of the muscle. The evaluation of the muscle activity can be performed by many techniques but the more spread, due to its reduced complexity and invasiveness, is the Surface Electromyography. This non-invasive technique can be applied to the monitoring of the muscles involved in respiration to diagnose pathologies that affect the respiratory system. The diaphragm is the principal muscle involved in respiration, its contraction and relaxation regulate the inspiratory and expiratory phases of the respiratory cycle. In this study, the diaphragm contraction is measured by means of a novel measurement approach based on the employment of adhesive conductive electrodes, made by innovative materials, connected to a wireless device developed by the Electronic group of the Department of Information Engineering of Università Politecnica delle Marche. The coupling between the proposed electrodes and the wireless device has been tested on ten voluntary subjects at which it is asked to alternate five deep and five normal breaths repeated two times. The results prove the ability of this system to detect the diaphragmatic contraction, in particular when it is induced by the deep breaths. Moreover, the system ability showed in the diaphragmatic contraction detection suggests that it could be employed in those patients that require a continuous monitoring of the respiratory system.