Patent ID: 6309360
Filing Date: 2001-10-30
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
An indirect calorimeter operative to measure the respiratory oxygen consumption per unit time of a subject, comprising:a respiratory connector operative to be supported in contact with a subject so as to pass respiratory gases as the subject breathes into said respiratory connector;a flow meter operative to generate signals as a function of the volume of gases passed through the flow meter;a capnometer operative to generate signals as a function of the instantaneous carbon dioxide content of gases passed through the capnometer;an electronic computer operative to receive signals from the flow meter and the capnometer; andconduits interconnecting the respiratory connector, the flow meter and the capnometer so that the subject's inhalations and exhalations pass through the flow meter and the subject's exhalations pass through the capnometer; the computer being operative to receive the signals from the capnometer and the flow meter to calculate the subject's oxygen consumption over the period of the test.