Body temperature assessment for improving clinical monitoring and care in neonatology

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Approximately one-tenth of all live births worldwide are premature, resulting in infants with underdeveloped biological and physiological systems. This immaturity often leads to complications such as temperature instability, respiratory distress, and cardiovascular disorders, necessitating the monitoring of vital signs like heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and body temperature in clinical care. Current standard monitoring methods are contact-based or invasive, which can cause stress and harm to the fragile skin of these infants. Consequently, remote monitoring techniques, such as infrared thermography (IRT), have the potential to revolutionize neonatal care. This work introduces innovative tools aimed at enhancing monitoring and care in neonatology. A new lumped model of the thermoregulatory system for infants has been developed and validated with clinical data. Additionally, novel approaches for extracting cardiorespiratory signals from thermal videos have been introduced. For RR monitoring, the study focuses on temperature changes around the nostrils and thoracic movement, while HR estimation is based on periodic movements of the head and thorax due to blood ejection from the heart. Finally, the work explores IRT's capability to detect and assess circulation and perfusion disturbances.