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Observational Study
. 2023 Nov-Dec;89(6):101333.
doi: 10.1016/j.bjorl.2023.101333. Epub 2023 Sep 25.

Evaluation of the breathing mode by infrared thermography

Yasmim Carvalho Telson  1 , Renata Maria Moreira Moraes Furlan  2 , Matheus Pereira Porto  3 , Rafael Augusto Magalhães Ferreira  3 , Andréa Rodrigues Motta  2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Evaluation of the breathing mode by infrared thermography

Yasmim Carvalho Telson et al. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2023 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: To analyze breathing modes with infrared thermography.

Methods: Cross-sectional observational exploratory study conducted in 20 female participants with a mean age of 26.0-years. The thermograms were made following the principles of the American Academy of Thermology and the Brazilian Thermology Society. The camera FLIR A315 (FLIR Inc., Santa Barbara, CA) was used for the tests. The recordings consisted of the participants breathing normally through the nose for 2min and simulating oral/oronasal breathing for another 2min. The thermograms were analyzed with the FLIR Tools software. An ellipse was placed between the nostrils and the lip commissures to obtain the mean temperatures. The collection was made by two independent researchers, and the normalized non-dimensional temperature was calculated.

Results: The temperature in nasal breathing is higher than in oral/oronasal breathing both for inhaling and exhaling when measured in the region of the mouth. The exhaling temperatures were higher than the inhaling ones in oral/oronasal breathing (through the nose and the mouth) and nasal breathing (only through the nose). The temperature difference between exhaling and inhaling (ΔT) was greater in oral/oronasal breathing when measured in the region of the mouth.

Conclusion: The thermographic assessment of breathing modes may be made by comparing the mean temperatures of the mouth, using an ellipse.

Level of evidence: Study without consistently applied reference standards.

Keywords: Mouth; Mouth breathing; Nose; Respiration; Thermography.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Thermograms selected with the experimental apparatus, during inspiration (right) and expiration through nose (left). In the scale used, the highest temperatures (close to 35.6°) are represented in red, whereas temperatures close to 21.8° are represented in blue.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Manual selection of ROIs in the Flir Tools software using an ellipse.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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