Method for processing of fetal breathing epoch analysis: studies in the primate.

An automated method for detecting fetal breathing and an analytic technique for providing significant data reduction that take the episodic nature of fetal breathing activity into account are described. The aim of the new technique, called epoch analysis, is to derive parameters of breathing and apnea that both summarize the activity and permit examination of its relationship to changes that occur naturally during day and night and with fetal maturation. The discussion covers: the acquisition of data from pregnant baboons; the breath detection process, for which a program was written; the recognition of breathing; computer recognition of artifacts; epoch characterization; validation of the methods of breath detection and epoch characterization; and application of the method. It is found that the technique has a broad capacity for data reduction and provides summaries of the activity that are amenable to analysis with standard statistical techniques.