# FAQ — ICU data collection and PVI analysis

HTML: <https://deepbreath.tech/faq.html>  
Last reviewed: 2026-08-18

Short answers for research teams. Longer versions: [data collection](https://deepbreath.tech/solutions/icu-data-collection.md), [PVI analysis](https://deepbreath.tech/solutions/patient-ventilator-interaction-analysis.md), [how we compare](https://deepbreath.tech/solutions/compare.md).

## What is Deep Breath, in one paragraph?

BreathBox hardware plus research software. It collects, time-stamps, labels, and analyses high-resolution ICU device data — especially mechanical ventilation. The default offering is data collection and retrospective analysis (a Class I medical device). Clinical decision support is a separate product and is not MDR or FDA cleared.

## How do we collect high-resolution ventilator waveforms?

BreathBox sits next to the ventilator and records airway pressure, flow, esophageal pressure when the device provides it, alarms, and settings. Typical ventilator sampling is 50–100 Hz. On Philips IntelliVue MX monitors it also records arterial pressure and ECG (ECG up to 500 Hz). You can run offline to a USB stick, on a hospital server, or in a secured cloud. Setup is usually ten minutes to an hour.

## Which ventilators and monitors work?

Named integrations: Dräger Evita and Babylog; Getinge/Maquet Servo-U and Servo-i; Hamilton G5/S1 and C6/C3; Puritan Bennett 840/980; Löwenstein Elisa; Ventinova Evone; Philips IntelliVue MX. Other devices on request.

## What can we export?

Raw waveform-level CSV, chart images, and optional mechanical-power and PVI statistics. The hospital owns the files. Deep Breath does not store patient personal data.

## Which asynchronies does PVI analysis cover?

Available today: normal, failed triggering (ineffective effort), reverse triggering, delayed triggering, double triggering, and premature cycling. False triggering, late cycling, and work shifting are under development. An external validation manuscript is under review.

## How is this different from Hamilton, Better Care, Syncron-E, or writing our own pipeline?

- **Hamilton Memory Box** is Hamilton-only and the files still need decoding. Deep Breath is vendor-independent and gives you CSV immediately.
- **Better Care** is a heavier, more expensive install. Deep Breath is lighter, faster to deploy, and includes web-based research software.
- **Syncron-E** classifies ineffective efforts on recordings you already have. Deep Breath collects the waveforms and processes several asynchrony types.
- **A custom Python pipeline** is flexible but brittle. Deep Breath is built around the edge cases and includes visualisation and analysis.

## Is this cleared for bedside decisions?

No. Collection and retrospective analysis are Class I. Real-time clinical decision support is a separate product and is not MDR or FDA cleared. It does not replace the ventilator, the monitor, or the clinician.

## Who owns the data? Can we stay offline?

The hospital owns the data in every setup. Yes, you can collect to a local USB stick with no hospital server or cloud.

## Does PVI mean pleth variability index?

No. Here PVI means patient–ventilator interaction. PVA means patient–ventilator asynchrony. Pleth variability index is a different, pulse-oximetry measure.

## Can we run our own models on the export?

Yes. The CSV is yours. Use it in a notebook, a hospital model, or a multicentre pipeline. The hospital remains data controller.

## Can we publish with these labels?

Yes. Some papers that use them are already under review. See [publications](https://deepbreath.tech/publications.md).

Contact: <https://deepbreath.tech/contact.html> · info@deepbreath.tech