The objective of this project is to detect acoustic signals generated by the respiratory system in patients with asthma using the acoustic sensor; and then, retrospectively, to use these signals to carry out signal processing research, with the aim of trying to identify signal characteristics that can be used to differentiate asthma patients from people who do not have the disease.
The hypothesis, therefore, is that it is possible to target through external smart bioelectronic devices and wireless connectivity (wearables) the initial signals of the pathophysiology of bronchial asthma and differentiate them from the signals of the normal respiratory physiology of a healthy individual.
Similarly, detection of such signals would not only be useful for asthma diagnosis but also for monitoring and early detection of exacerbations before they can be detected by the usual respiratory functional tests.
The patients will first visit the asthma unit where the diagnostic tests will be undertaken. Then the subjects will take the acoustic sensor home with them and wear it during sleep for at least two weeks.
