SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Project Summary Abstract Proposed is an easy to useportable method for diagnosis of obstructive sleep apneaOSAusing non contact technology for use in clinical or home settingSignificanceAn estimatedmillion Americans have sleep apnea and recent epidemiological studies indicate the prevalence of this disorder is on the riseOSA is associated with several negative health outcomes including depression and typediabetesCurrentlypolysomnographyPSGis the gold standard test for diagnosis of OSAPSG systems are complexThey typically require a skilled technician for setup and continuous monitoring to ensure the accuracy of results thereby limiting their use to sleep clinicsHoweverrecent reviews of access to sleep clinics have found supply of OSA diagnostic services not always able to meet demandHome sleep apnea testHSATsystems do existhoweverlike current PSG systemsthey employ sensing modalities that suffer from issues of miscalibration or diminished efficacy as the user moves through the nightSensors typically used by HSAT systemsnose worn cannulaEEGplethysmography beltsetcmust be in direct contact with the patient and are wired to a central recorder that the patient must wearPatients report that worn wired sensors are uncomfortable and in some cases affect their sleep qualityThese issues present a barrier to effective diagnosis of OSA for many populations including the un under insuredrural populationsindividuals with accessibility needsthose with developmental disabilitiesand childrenHypothesisIt is hypothesized that an easy to use non contact system capable of sensing standard measures of sleep apnea severityAHIwill make available diagnosis to several populations underserved by current PSG and HSAT technology thereby increasing quality of life for those individuals effected by OSASpecific AimsIn the Phase I effort the proposed sensing technology was demonstrated to be exceptionally effectiveIn Phase II the following aims are proposedMature the prototype hardware into a production ready systemFinalize processing software and develop interfaces for end userscliniciansandValidate system performance against current state of the art system in a human subject study Project Narrative An estimatedmillion Americans have sleep apneaa disorder associated with negative health outcomes such as depression and diabetesRecent epidemiological studies indicating that the prevalence of this disorder is on the riseCurrentlypolysomnographyPSGis the gold standard test for diagnosis of OSA however the complexity of setup and monitoring of PSG systems limit their use to sleep clinicsHome sleep apnea tests do existHoweverlike current PSG systemsthey make use of uncomfortable body worn sensors that have diminished efficacy as the user moves while sleepingStudies indicate that OSA is markedly underdiagnosed and current diagnostic equipment presents a barrier for many populationsIt is hypothesized that an easy to use non contact system capable of sensing standard measures of sleep apnea severity will make OSA diagnosis available to many populations currently underserved by PSG and HSAT technology
