MDLinxResearchers Develop Wireless Monitoring Patch System to Detect Sleep Apnea at Home

Revolutionizing Sleep Apnea Diagnosis with Wearable Technology

Tackling the increasing prevalence of sleep disorders like sleep apnea, Georgia Tech researchers have brought a paradigm shift in the field of sleep diagnostics. Their development of a wearable sleep monitor patch, characterized by its accuracy and comfort, offers the promise of a more accessible and cost-effective means of diagnosing sleep disorders, revolutionizing the way sleep medicine is practiced.

• Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea are increasingly prevalent in the US, but current diagnostic procedures are expensive and inconvenient.
• Georgia Tech researchers have developed a wearable sleep monitor patch, made of silicone, which fits over the forehead and chin, to accurately measure obstructive sleep apnea and sleep quality.
• Traditional sleep testing requires patients to be monitored overnight in a medical facility with wired probes that record brain, eye, and muscle activity.
• The wearable device relays brain, eye, and muscle activity wirelessly via Bluetooth to an app for evaluation, offering an accuracy rate of 88.5% for sleep apnea detection.
• Obstructive sleep apnea, characterized by sudden awakenings, gasping for air, snoring, and high blood pressure, can exacerbate existing illnesses and lead to serious complications if untreated.
• The device also uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict a person’s likelihood of developing sleep apnea based on the recorded data.
• Current methods for detecting sleep apnea, such as polysomnography, can be uncomfortable, time-consuming, and costly, amounting to around $8,000 per person per night.