Respiratory rate, also known as breathing rate, is a vital sign representing the number of breaths a person takes per minute. It's a fundamental indicator of a person's health and can be affected by various factors, including physical activity, fever, illness, and emotional state.
How to Measure Respiratory Rate:
Observe the person's chest or abdomen to count the number of times it rises and falls.
The most accurate way to measure is to count the breaths over a full minute.
Alternatively, you can count the breaths over 30 seconds and multiply by 2, or count over 15 seconds and multiply by 4. This method is often used when a person might be aware of being observed, which could alter their natural breathing pattern.
Normal Ranges:
Normal respiratory rates vary by age:
Adults (at rest): 12 to 20 breaths per minute
Children (ages 6-17): 12 to 16 breaths per minute
Younger Children: Higher rates, typically 20-30 breaths per minute
Infants: Can be 30-60 breaths per minute
An unusually high respiratory rate (tachypnea) or a low respiratory rate (bradypnea) can indicate underlying medical conditions and should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
This calculator helps you quickly determine the respiratory rate based on the number of breaths counted over different time intervals.
function calculateRespiratoryRate() {
var breathsInMinute = parseFloat(document.getElementById("breathsInMinute").value);
var breathsIn30Seconds = parseFloat(document.getElementById("breathsIn30Seconds").value);
var breathsIn15Seconds = parseFloat(document.getElementById("breathsIn15Seconds").value);
var respiratoryRate = null;
var calculationMethod = "";
if (!isNaN(breathsInMinute) && breathsInMinute > 0) {
respiratoryRate = breathsInMinute;
calculationMethod = "from 60 seconds";
} else if (!isNaN(breathsIn30Seconds) && breathsIn30Seconds > 0) {
respiratoryRate = breathsIn30Seconds * 2;
calculationMethod = "from 30 seconds";
} else if (!isNaN(breathsIn15Seconds) && breathsIn15Seconds > 0) {
respiratoryRate = breathsIn15Seconds * 4;
calculationMethod = "from 15 seconds";
}
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
if (respiratoryRate !== null) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "