Post-Crash Noninvasive Occupant

Monitoring for Emergency Response

Kevin Joseph, Dr. Kris Kusano
Sponsors:
National Science Foundation
Biomechanics REU

Background
Risk of death decreases by
25% when a seriously
injured patient is treated
at a trauma center
27% of 1.5 million trauma
brain injuries(TBI) go to a
trauma center
Car crashes second
leading cause of TBI
One solution is occupant

Pre-Crash

Occupan
t
Monitori
ng

Get vitals
to assist
occupants

Aler
t

Disorient
ed

Unconscio
Emergen
us
cy
Alert car
and
authoritie
s
Current Objective:

PostCrash
Get vitals
to
diagnose
injuries
Severe
Injury

Minor
Injury

Obtain proper vital signs and medical symptoms in post-crash situations

to improve emergency response

Post-Crash Vital Signs

Requirements for a trauma
center:
Respiratory Rate < 12 pm
Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS) <
9
Systolic Blood Pressure <
90mmHg

All Vitals of Interest:

Respiratory Rate
Weight and Physical
Responsiveness via
weight
Heart Rate
GCS
Blood Pressure

System Setup
Pressure
Sensor

Vitals
Acquisition

Analysis and

GCS
Testin
g

Lowp
ass
Weight
0.1hz

Voltage to Weight
Conversion

Signal Lowp
Extre
Fast
Heart
Sectio
Filteri ass
ma
Fourie
Rate
n Test
Pressur
ng
10hz
Test
r Test
e
Signal
Fast
Lowp
Extre
Breathi
Slope Fouri
ass
ma
ng
Test
er
3hz
Test
Rate
Test

Respiratory Rate
Filtered (>3hz)

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

Raw Data

Time(s)

Time(s)
Extrema Test
~3
s
19.
9

2.7
s
22.
0

2.4
s
24.
8

~3
s
20.
3

24.8|24.8|27.8|22.1|
26.6
Mean(w/o outliers):
23.7

Frequency Test
(FFT)

Slope Test

3
s
2
0

2.8s
21.8

2.5
s
24

2.8
s
21.
8

2.5
s
24

24 | 30 | 21.8 | 26.7
Mean(w/o outliers):
23.8

Highest Peak: .
04hz
.04hz * 60s = 24
(hz * 60s =
Rbpm)

Heart Rate
Raw Data

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e
Time(s)
Frequency Test
(FFT)

Highest Peak:
1.1Hz
1.1hz * 60s = 66
(hz * 60s =
Hbpm)

Filtered(>10hz)

Extrema Test
1.09s
65.7

Time(s)
Area Subtest

1.01s
60.3

66.3|66.4|60.9|61.4|64.9|64.3|
58.3
Mean(w/o outliers): 63.2

Slope Subtest

Glasgow Coma Scale

Used to test the level of
traumatic brain injury and
consciousness
A score of 3=Unconscious
and 15=Stable
Composed of three sections
with different tests and
scores
Motor: 1 - 6
Verbal: 1 - 5
Eye: 1 - 4

GCS Testing Interface

Tests motor
responsiveness and
overall control
Uses car mechanics,
including pressure
sensor, for testing

1
MOTOR

Makes no
Extension to
movemen painful stimuli
ts

Move in
seat
back
and
forward

Unbuckl
e and
buckle
seatbelt

Press
button
on
steering
wheel

Abnormal
flexion to
painful

Flexion /
Withdrawal
to painful

Localizes
painful
stimuli

Obeys
commands

 Tests eye and verbal

responsiveness and
control.
Uses a visual prompt and a
microphone

Listenin
g

Visual display first

Verbal Prompt if there is no
response
1

EYE

Does not
open eyes

Opens eyes in
response
topainful stimuli

Opens eyes in
response to
voice

Opens eyes
spontaneousl
y

VERBAL

Makes no
sounds

Incomprehensibl
e sounds

Utters
inappropriate
words

Confused,
disoriented

Oriented,
converses
normally

Limitations
Heart Rate is more inaccurate due to different heartbeats and
weak frequency
While weight is a conversion, it has to be calibrated for the
exact human weight
GCS is difficult to test autonomously because of painful stimuli.
Accurately detects unconscious and stable occupants only because of
the lack of many GCS motor tests
Has to estimate GCS motor based off other vitals and sensor

Conclusion
Respiratory Rate, Weight and Heart Rate can be
detected in a car passively/noninvasively without
additional sensors
GCS Test still useful since it can determine
consciousness with a common standard
Shows promise for being used for post crash injury
assessment

Diagnoses
Unconscio
us Test
Unconscio
us

Conscious

Undiagnosa
ble

Minor
Injury Test

Severe
Injury Test
Heart
Attack/Arrest
and Stroke
Traumatic
Injury

Minor
Injury

Internal
bleeding/
Undiagnosab
le

Extrem
e Blood
Loss

Misdiagnos
ed

Stable

Unstable

Undiagnosa
ble

Responses

Traumatic
Unstable:
Injury:
headaches,
nausea,
and low
total GCS
or Motor
respiratory
rateGCS
< 12Total
pulse
not
between
60 and
90, weak
breaths,
hi,
and
pain =
or1,
headaches
Unconscious:
minimal
weight
change,
GCS
and
Extreme
< 7 60
Blood
Loss:
major
weight
drop, increased
heart
rate
variability,
and pulse increases.
Stable:
pulse
between
and 90,
respiratory
rate > 12,
and
high
total GCS
Heart Attackno
Undiagnosable:
or
Stroke:inchest/arm
pains
or
headaches,
and sporadic
vitals
weight
seat,
sporadic
3 times
Conscious:
occupant
usedreadings,
some
car misdiagnosed
machine
or major
weight change
Undiagnosable\Internal
Bleeding:
if theon
occupant
left
the
vehicle orinto
cant
get accurate
Misdiagnosed:
(present
occupant)
seat
buthas
cant
classified
unstable,
stable, or
weight
Undiagnosable:
no weight
(no
occupant)
onbe
seat
readings
undiagnosable

Listening

Move
in seat
back
and
forwar
d

Unbuckle
and
buckle
seatbelt

Press
button
on
steering
wheel

-> Chronological order of test ->