Page 50 - focusUnimore_aprile2023

Radar per il monitoraggio dei segni vitali:

innovazione e potenzialità nella “medicina
del futuro”

Radar for vital signs monitoring: innovation and potential in the “medicine of the future”

Monitoring vital signs, such as heart rate and respiratory rate, is an established practice for assessing the
health status of patients. It is usually carried out by means of sensors worn by patients, but in complex
situations, infectious diseases or severe burns, this solution is not always applicable. For this reason, vari-
ous technologies are being studied that allow monitoring without any contact with the human body; among
these, an important role is played by radar systems. In 2020, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
financed a FAR (RADAR MONITOR) project to conduct a feasibility pilot study on the non-contact monitor-
ing, by means of radar systems, of the vital signs of adult volunteers. The research activity was carried out
jointly by research groups led by Prof. Giorgio Matteo Vitetta (“Enzo Ferrari” Department of Engineering)
and Prof. Giuseppe Boriani (Department of Medicine and Surgery). This activity led to the publication of an
article in the prestigious international journal “Proceedings of the IEEE” entitled “Radar-Based Monitoring
of Vital Signs: A Tutorial Overview”. In this article, Unimore researchers describe in detail radar systems for
monitoring vital signs, providing an overview of their historical evolution and the physiological foundations
underlying their operation. It also provides a critical analysis of the different radar technologies available on
the market for the medical sector and the signal processing methods used in this field, and explains various
technical considerations and guidelines for the correct use of radar devices to maximise their effectiveness.

l monitoraggio dei segni vitali, come loro identificazione precoce può aumentare sensi-
la frequenza cardiaca e la frequenza bilmente le probabilità di sopravvivenza.
respiratoria, rappresenta una pratica Al giorno d’oggi, il monitoraggio dei segni vitali

consolidata per la valutazione dello sta- viene effettuato usualmente mediante sensori in-
Ito di salute dei pazienti. Infatti, i cam- dossati dai pazienti; tuttavia, in situazioni comples-
biamenti nei segni vitali possono essere sintomo se, come quelle causate da malattie infettive o
di complicazioni mediche; per questo motivo, una
gravi ustioni, questa soluzione non è sempre

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