147 results about "Hypopnea" patented technology

Techniques are provided for detecting the onset of an episode of apnea / hypopnea substantially in real-time. A moving threshold is generated based on recent respiration cycles and differences are accumulated between amplitudes of new respiration cycles and the moving threshold. Apnea / hypopnea is then detected based upon a comparison of the accumulated differences against a fixed threshold. The technique exploits the fact that many episodes of hypopnea begin with a sharp drop in respiration and many episodes of apnea are preceded by a sharp drop in respiration. By accumulating differences between new respiration amplitudes and a short term moving average, any sharp drop in respiration is thereby promptly detected. In many cases, by the time the amplitudes of individual respiration cycles drop to levels directly indicative of apnea / hypopnea, the episode of apnea / hypopnea will have already been detected based upon the sudden sharp drop in respiration amplitude and therapy will have already been initiated.

A respiratory monitoring apparatus that detects changes in physiological parameters relevant to respiration, including blood oxygen and blood volume, using near infrared spectroscopy. Methods for diagnosing respiratory-related events including hypoxia index, hypopnea, arousal, tissue oxygen debt, and respiratory muscle events or distinguishing central from obstructive sleep apnea are also disclosed.

Apparatus for use detection of apnea includes a microphone mounted in the ear of the patient for detecting breathing sounds and a second external microphone together with an oximetric sensor. A transmitter at the patient compresses and transmits the signals to a remote location where there is provided a detector module for receiving and analyzing the signals to extract data relating to the breathing. The detector uses the entropy or range of the signal to generate an estimate of air flow while extracting extraneous snoring and heart sounds and to analyze the estimate of air flow using Otsu's threshold to detect periods of apnea and / or hypopnea. A display provides data of the detected apnea / hypopnea episodes and related information for a clinician.

Extraction of components of the a signal captured by an accelerometer, obtaining information about physiological data such as cardiac, respiratory and snoring activity. The extracted signal components are useful for the diagnosis of different types of abnormal respiratory phenomena during sleep (apneas, hypopneas and respiratory efforts associated to micro-arousals).

The invention relates to a method of treating diverse human disorders that may arise, in part, out of sleep hypoxia and oxygen deprivation occurring in the context of sleep apnea / hypopnea disturbances. The disorders that may be treated by the invention comprise gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), asthma-associated gastroesophageal reflux (GER), GER-associated asthma, asthma, cardiomyopathy, cardioarrhythmia, congestive heart failure, sudden infant death syndrome, and diverse neurologic conditions. The mode of treatment uses somatostatin receptor ligands (SstRLs), particularly somatostatin-receptor agonists. The invention concerns the method of treatment utilizing, and compositions comprising SstRLs and somatostatin receptor agonists, including agonists of the somatostatin receptor types 2 and 5, particularly, the type 2A receptor (SsR-2A), including octreotide and lanreotide.

Airway monitoring apparatus 30 includes a driver 6 for applying sound in the audible frequency range to the airway of a subject and a detector 7 for monitoring the response of the airway, e.g. by detecting transmitted sound signal components and / or reflected sound signal components. Variations in the detected sound signal, e.g. energy, due to attenuation of the signal, give an indication of the state of the airway, e.g. airway patency, and can be used to monitor sleep-disordered breathing events, such as apnea and hypopnea, and to provide a breathing event index, e.g. AHI. The apparatus may provide servo-control for a respiratory assist device, such as a positive airway pressure device, so as to provide an appropriate pressure level setting. It may allow for home use of such devices and for home titration. It may also assist in discriminating central and obstructive breathing events, and in providing a measure of airway resistance.

A method for controlling operation of a CPAP apparatus. The apparatus has a blower (2), a patient interface (6), an air delivery conduit (8) for delivering air from the blower (2) to the patient interface (6), a sensor (4p) for determining the pressure in the patient interface (6), and a control mechanism (15) that causes air to be delivered at a desired pressure to the patient interface (6) and that detects transitions between inhalation and exhalation of a respiratory cycle of a patient in order to synchronise the blower output with the patient's efforts. In one form the CPAP apparatus provides pressure in accordance with a bi-level waveform with at least one characterising parameter of the waveform being automatically adjusted in accordance with indications of sleep disordered breathing. The indications of sleep disordered breathing can be one or more of snoring, apnea, hypopnea, and flow limitation.

A portable or wearable system for monitoring and diagnosing sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, and an associated method of monitoring and diagnosis. The device which can be used for the detection, assessment, diagnosis and pre-diagnosis (screening) of sleep apnea, as well as other sleep-related disorders associated with sleep apnea, such as hypopnea, snoring and abnormal cardiac rhythms. The device preferably samples, stores and records sound at a frequency of 1000 Hz and higher to allow for an accurate analysis of the subject's condition to be carried out. Memory is provided in the device to store at least six hours of continuous data. Data collected by the device can be downloaded to an external computing device for later use and analysis by a medical professional.

Airway monitoring apparatus 30 includes a driver 6 for applying sound in the audible frequency range to the airway of a subject and a detector 7 for monitoring the response of the airway, e.g. by detecting transmitted sound signal components and / or reflected sound signal components. Variations in the detected sound signal, e.g. energy, due to attenuation of the signal, give an indication of the state of the airway, e.g. airway patency, and can be used to monitor sleep-disordered breathing events, such as apnea and hypopnea, and to provide a breathing event index, e.g. AHI. The apparatus may provide servo-control for a respiratory assist device, such as a positive airway pressure device, so as to provide an appropriate pressure level setting. It may allow for home use of such devices and for home titration. It may also assist in discriminating central and obstructive breathing events, and in providing a measure of airway resistance.

Apparatus for use detection of apnea includes a microphone mounted in the ear of the patient for detecting breathing sounds and a second external microphone together with an oximetric sensor. A transmitter at the patient compresses and transmits the signals to a remote location where there is provided a detector module for receiving and analyzing the signals to extract data relating to the breathing. The detector uses the entropy or range of the signal to generate an estimate of air flow while extracting extraneous snoring and heart sounds and to analyze the estimate of air flow using Otsu's threshold to detect periods of apnea and / or hypopnea. A display provides data of the detected apnea / hypopnea episodes and related information for a clinician.

Detection of apnea / hypopnea events to calculate an apnea / hypopnea index is obtained by analysis of breathing pattern of a patient from breathing and snore sounds and a finger probe recording the SaO2 signal. A detector analyzes microphone signals to detect breath, snore and noise sounds in response to a detected drop in the SaO2 level greater than 2% and to extract and analyze the breathing sounds from a limited time period starting prior to the drop of the SaO2 signal and ending at least at the end of each drop. Separated time periods are divided phases with snore sounds and those with breathing sounds and an estimated breathing volume adjacent to a snore phase is used to estimate the airflow of the snore phase. The relative and absolute energy and duration of the sound periods is used to classify the sound periods into the three groups of breath, snore and noise.

An apnea / hypopnea detection system and method that monitors a patient's respiratory flow, determines (a) a long term RMS energy based on the flow, (b) a long term threshold determined based on the long term RMS energy, and (c) a short term RMS energy based on the flow. Determining whether the patient is experiencing an apnea / hypopnea is accomplished by comparing the short term RMS energy with the long term threshold. This A / H detection technique is useful in diagnosing a patient for a breathing disorder, such as OSA, and / or for controlling an auto-titration pressure support system.

An apparatus is provided for controlling air supplied under pressure to a patient suffering from sleep disorders such as apnoea. The apparatus measures and / or calculates the inspiratory air flow, volume and pressure to the airway. Controlled pressurized air is supplied to the patient's upper anatomical airway, wherein the apparatus measures the air flow and pressure to the airway. The apparatus determines whether to increase or decrease the pressure to the patient's airway based on a determination of one or more factors, such as the occurrence of hypopnoea, hyperventilation, obstructive or central apnoea, air leakage and acoustical vibrations. Occurrences of events representing a sleep problem may be stored by the apparatus and retrieved by a clinician at a later date.

The present Invention (the “Invention”) relates to an apparatus to detect, assess and end occurrences of snoring, sleep apnea events and hypopnea episodes, in a manner that will decrease or eliminate hypoxia, hypercapnia and the disturbance of cardiac and pulmonary hemodynamics, and give users of the apparatus a report of their critical sleep data each morning

The invention relates to an elastic tongue dorsum traction apparatus and a method for implanting the same. The elastic tongue dorsum traction apparatus and the method are used for treating patients suffering from sleep apnea-hypopnea syndromes or snoring. The elastic tongue dorsum traction apparatus comprises a tongue dorsum connecting mechanism, elastic traction bodies and tooth-side fixators. A support body of the tongue dorsum connecting mechanism is implanted under the mucosa of the tongue dorsum of a patient, and the elastic traction bodies and the tongue dorsum connecting mechanism are exposed out of the mucosa of the tongue dorsum of the patient. The tooth-side fixators are fixed to the inner sides of the teeth or the alveolar bones of the patient, one end of each elastic traction body is connected with the corresponding tooth-side fixator, and the other end of each elastic traction body is connected with the tongue dorsum connecting mechanism. The elastic tongue dorsum traction apparatus and the method have the advantages that the tooth-side fixators are used as support points, the elastic traction bodies can exert elastic tractive force on the tongue dorsum connecting mechanism, accordingly, the glossocoma tongue of the patient can be pulled up forwardly, airway stenosis and obstruction of the glossopharyngeal part of the patient can be prevented, and snoring and OSAHS (obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome) treatment effects can be realized; an elastic traction effect is realized for the tongue dorsum connecting mechanism by the elastic traction bodies, so that movement of the tongue of the patient is unaffected while the tongue of the patient is moderately pulled up, certain swallowing and speaking functions can be kept, the airway of the glossopharyngeal part of the patient can be expanded, and the patient feels comfortable when using the elastic tongue dorsum traction apparatus.

Compositions and methods for the treatment of sleep related breathing disorders are provided. Compositions include mirtazapine in combination with other active pharmaceutical ingredients, such as zonisamide, topiramate or modafinil. The treated sleep related breathing disorders include sleep apnea and sleep hypopnea. In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical compounds are used as adjuvant therapy with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, thereby lowering the pressure required to maintain airway patency during PAP therapy.

An apnea / hypopnea detection system and method that monitors a patient's respiratory flow, determines (a) a long term RMS energy based on the flow, (b) a long term threshold determined based on the long term RMS energy, and (c) a short term RMS energy based on the flow. Determining whether the patient is experiencing an apnea / hypopnea is accomplished by comparing the short term RMS energy with the long term threshold. This A / H detection technique is useful in diagnosing a patient for a breathing disorder, such as OSA, and / or for controlling an auto-titration pressure support system.

Devices and systems provide methods of detecting a heart failure condition of a patient that may be based on one or more respiratory parameters of a patient. In an example embodiment, a monitoring device determines one or more heart failure condition indicators based on a measure of the patient respiratory airflow and / or a measure of treatment pressure. Respiratory parameters such as respiration rate, hypopneas, apneas, Cheyne-Stokes breathing patterns or apnea-hypopnea counts may be compared to thresholds that are selected to represent a change in the condition of a heart failure patient such as an onset of a decompensation event. Results of the comparisons may trigger a pressure treatment change and / or one or more warnings or messages to notify a patient or physician of a pending change to the patient's heart failure condition so that the patient may more immediately seek medical attention to treat the heart failure condition.

A device includes a respirometer 3 and an automatic apnea / hypopnea analyzer 2. The respirometer 3 includes an airflow-signal recording unit 13 that is connected to a thermistor respiratory flow meter 5 or a nasal-pressure type flow meter 6 detecting the airflow waveform signals, converts to digital data the airflow waveform signals obtained by the thermistor respiratory flow meter 5 or the nasal-pressure type flow meter 6, and stores the converted data as measured respiratory flow values. The automatic apnea / hypopnea analyzer 2 obtains power spectra in the breathing frequency band from the measured respiratory flow values, calculates logarithmic time-series data from the power spectra, smoothes the data, and then detects transitory drops (flow power dips) in the smoothed data, to automatically detect apnea / hypopnea.

The invention relates to a method for determining severity of an obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) according to snore acoustic characteristics. The method comprises the following steps of: performing cluster analysis on format probability in sub-band (SBFP) parameters of a large number of experimental samples with the same OSAHS severity to obtain models representing four OSAHS severities: a simple snore mode, a mild OSAHS model, a moderate OSAHS model and a severe OSAHS model; and when a subject needs to be judged to which OSAHS severity the subject belongs, recording sound data of the subject all night long only, calculating an SBFP characteristic parameter, and matching the SBFP with the four models, so that which OSAHS severity the subject belongs to can be judged according to the model corresponding to the maximum matching probability. The snore when the subject sleeps is needed to be recorded only, so the method is simple and convenient without influencing the sleep quality of the patient.

Techniques are provided for detecting pulmonary edema based on a comparison of impedance-based respiratory patterns and impedance-based cardiac patterns, i.e. patterns derived from thoracic impedance signals. In one example, a numerical ratio is calculated between average peak-to-peak amplitudes of the respiratory patterns and average peak-to-peak amplitudes of the cardiac patterns. Pulmonary edema is detected if the amplitude ratio falls below a pulmonary edema detection threshold. Techniques are also provided for controlling operation of an impedance-based reduced respiration detector, i.e. a detector which seeks to detect apnea, hypopnea, or the like, based on analysis of respiratory patterns derived from a thoracic impedance signal. If the numerical ratio falls below a minimum reliability threshold, then the reduced respiration detector is deactivated because episodes of reduced respiration cannot then reliably be derived from an analysis of respiration patterns obtained from the thoracic impedance signals.

Compositions and methods for the treatment of sleep related breathing disorders are provided. Compositions include setiptiline in combination with other active pharmaceutical ingredients, such as zonisamide, topiramate or modafinil. The treated sleep related breathing disorders include sleep apnea and sleep hypopnea. In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical compounds are used as adjuvant therapy with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, thereby lowering the pressure required to maintain airway patency during PAP therapy.

A nasal cannula for monitoring symptoms of sleep apnea and hypopnea, including an elongated main body having a main body chamber and first and second nares to be received within first and second nasal passages of a patient's nose and at least one mouthpiece extending to a patient's mouth. The main body chamber communicates with first and second cannula inlet / outlets and each nare and the mouthpiece includes a gas flow passage extending from the nostril or mouth to the main body chamber. At least one nasal gas flow sensor is located in an gas flow passage of at least one of the nares and at least one oral gas flow sensor located in the mouthpiece gas flow passage, preferably in the regions of the gas flow passages adjacent the main body chamber.

The invention discloses a sleep monitoring obstructive locator based on snore analysis. The sleep monitoring obstructive locator based on the snore analysis comprises a recorder for recording sleep sound of a patient, and a processor for performing intelligent analysis according to the sleep sound; an audio signal output end of the recorder is connected with a voice interface of the processor; the processor comprises a sound acquisition module, a data storage module, a data reading module, a data analyzing module and a reporting module; the data analyzing module calculates and processes the sound data to obtain snore loudness, a snore frequency, a snore index, apnea time, hypopnea time and a sleep breathing disordered index; and the reporting module judges whether a numerical value is in accordance with a standard of a sleep apnea syndrome, determines an upper airway obstructive part according to the numerical value and outputs a determination result. The sleep monitoring obstructive locator can detect sleep breathing disordered degree and the upper airway obstructive part, has no limitation to the patient and is easy to operate.