Study of an Oxygen Supply and Oxygen Saturation Monitoring System for Radiation Therapy Associated with the Active Breathing Coordinator

Abstract

In this study, we designed an oxygen supply and oxygen saturation monitoring (OSOSM) system. This OSOSM system can provide a continuous supply of oxygen and monitor the peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) of patients who accept radiotherapy and use an active breathing coordinator (ABC). A clinical test with 27 volunteers was conducted. The volunteers were divided into two groups based on the tendency of SpO2 decline in breath-holding without the OSOSM system: group A (12 cases) showed a decline in SpO2 of less than 2%, whereas the decline in SpO2 in group B (15 cases) was greater than 2% and reached up to 6% in some cases. The SpO2 of most volunteers declined during rest. The breath-holding time of group A without the OSOSM system was significantly longer than that of group B (p < 0.05) and was extended with the OSOSM system by 26.6% and 27.85% in groups A and B, respectively. The SpO2 recovery time was reduced by 36.1%, and the total rest time was reduced by 27.6% for all volunteers using the OSOSM system. In summary, SpO2 declines during breath-holding and rest time cannot be ignored while applying an ABC. This OSOSM system offers a simple and effective way to monitor SpO2 variation and overcome SpO2 decline, thereby lengthening breath-holding time and shortening rest time.