Piezoelectric respiratory effort sensor

Without an effort channel, an apnoea is just an apnoea. With it, it becomes central or obstructive, and that is neither the same disease nor the same treatment. It is the most unobtrusive sensor on the montage and one of the most decisive for the report.

The principle is mechanical: a piezoelectric element set into the belt produces a voltage when the belt stretches. The chest expands, the belt lengthens, the signal rises. When inspiratory effort ceases, the trace flattens, and the technician reads a central apnoea.

That signal is qualitative. It shows the presence and rhythm of effort, not its absolute amplitude: no volume measurement should be drawn from it. To quantify, the AASM points to RIP inductance bands.

The four attachments correspond to four ways of fixing the sensor to the belt: clips, velcro, single rings, double rings. The right choice is almost always the one matching the belts already in stock: changing attachment system forces you to replace the whole belt fleet at once.

The child reference mounts without its own belt, directly on a strap sized to the patient. The cable is 200 cm on every version, and the connector is touchproof DIN 42802.