{"668048":{"#nid":"668048","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Develop Wireless Monitoring to Detect Sleep Apnea at Home ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers have created a wearable device to accurately measure obstructive sleep apnea \u2014 when the body repeatedly stops and restarts breathing for a period \u2014 as well as the quality of sleep people get when they are at rest.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnder conventional methods, people who are suspected of having some sleep issue or disorder must go to a medical facility, where they are monitored overnight and tethered to a series of wired probes that record brain, eye, and muscle activity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe wearable sleep monitor patch developed by a team of researchers and clinicians, led by \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/yeo\u0022\u003EW. Hong Yeo\u003C\/a\u003E, an associate professor and Woodruff Faculty Fellow in Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, is made of silicone and fits over the forehead, with a second, smaller silicone attachment that molds to the chin.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA lot of people have this disorder, but they don\u2019t know it because it\u2019s very hard to diagnose right now,\u201d Yeo said. \u201cCurrent smartphone apps don\u2019t capture the specific data doctors and clinicians study to determine if a patient has apnea, rendering them useless.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EConventional existing sleep testing is occurring in sleep labs because of device limitations. This at-home wearable device could be the alternative to the more expensive medical procedures at sleep labs.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EYeo and his team, which included researchers from across Georgia Tech, Emory University School of Medicine, the University of Texas at Austin, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, the Korea Institute of Materials Science, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.science.org\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adg9671\u0022\u003Ereported their findings\u003C\/a\u003E in Science Advances in May.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003ERising Prevalence\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile there are two additional types of sleep apnea \u2014 central and complex \u2014 obstructive sleep apnea is the most common, Yeo said, explaining that in addition to snoring and arrested breathing episodes, it\u2019s generally characterized by waking up suddenly, gasping for air or choking, and high blood pressure.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELack of quality sleep can exacerbate other health issues in people with existing illnesses such as heart disease or diabetes, Yeo said. But even those who don\u2019t have other health ailments can have serious complications from sleep apnea because the longer it goes undetected and untreated, the more it will affect their hearts and brains over time.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESeeing the toll sleep apnea was taking on the U.S. population, Yeo set out to apply his wearable device research to the industry with a wireless sleep monitoring patch system.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe patches \u2014 which have an accuracy rate of 88.5% for sleep apnea detection \u2014 have the thickness of an adhesive bandage. Three embedded electronic sensors send signals wirelessly via Bluetooth to record brain, eye, and muscle activity. That data is relayed to an app on a smart device such as a phone or tablet for further study and evaluation.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe device can be used at home, negating the need to go to a sleep center or medical facility for overnight monitoring.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cA lot of people have this type of sleep disorder; they just don\u2019t know it,\u201d said Yeo, whose research is centered primarily in advancing healthcare through the development of biosensors and bioelectronics. \u201cIn the U.S., more than 18 million people have this type of sleep apnea. That\u2019s basically one out of every 15 Americans, and those numbers are increasing over time.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUnderlying health issues are partly behind the increase, he said, but key drivers are the types of food and portion sizes of the modern American diet as well as stress.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s also an economic toll on the country. Poor sleep cost the U.S. economy $411 billion in lost productivity in 2015. That figure is projected to exceed $467 billion by 2030.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003EPredicting Sleep Apnea\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing artificial intelligence and machine learning, the technology behind the wearable device records the data to give a sleep score that determines if the patient has sleep apnea or if they are getting enough quality sleep.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the study, when measured against a controlled group of eight sleep apnea patients whose issues were detected under conventional testing means, Yeo\u2019s wireless patch detected sleep apnea with an accuracy rate of 88.5%. For comparison, an existing headband device on the market had an accuracy rate of about 71% and cannot measure muscle activities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat\u2019s more, the technology Yeo and his team developed, and the machine learning algorithms used, can predict the likelihood that a person who doesn\u2019t show any symptoms of sleep apnea will develop it at some point.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBy looking at the data, we can say that, if you don\u2019t change something right now \u2014 whether it\u2019s diet or sleeping behavior or anything like that \u2014 you\u2019re likely to develop sleep apnea because your numbers are bad,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Ch4\u003ESolving a Problem\u003C\/h4\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe wireless patch solves a multipronged challenge to conventional testing methodology by addressing current patient issues with comfort, time, access, and cost.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe current process \u2014 called a PSG or polysomnography test \u2014 proves uncomfortable for some patients. That\u2019s because they must sleep in a fixed position for fear of detaching any one of the 15 wired probes from their skin. Having any of those sensors detach from their bodies risks not capturing enough data for proper assessments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u0027s also time consuming because the patient must go to a sleep center and spend the night being monitored by medical personnel. There can also be a lag to even get tested. Patients who don\u2019t have severe symptoms or other high-risk, underlying factors such as heart disease or hypertension, often must wait after getting a referral from a doctor to be slotted for a bed at a sleep center, pending availability. Finally, the current detection method is costly to patients and insurance systems, tallying roughly $8,000 per person, per night.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSo that testing barrier is really high for regular people unless you are already sick, then they will screen you to avoid any severe conditions,\u201d Yeo said. \u201cBut for people who don\u2019t show symptoms, you won\u2019t know whether you have the sleep disorder until it gets severe. We want to stop sleep apnea before it starts.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECITATION: Woon-Hong Yeo, Shinjae Kwon, Hyeon Seok Kim, Kangkyu Kwon, Hodam Kim, Yun Soung Kim, Sung Hoon Lee, Young-Tae Kwon, Jae-Woong Jeong, Lynn Marie Trotti, Audrey Duarte. \u201cAt-home wireless sleep monitoring patches for the clinical assessment of sleep quality and sleep apnea.\u201d Science Advances. May 24, 2023. doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.adg9671.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers have created a wearable device to accurately measure obstructive sleep apnea \u2014 when the body repeatedly stops and restarts breathing for a period \u2014 as well as the quality of sleep people get when they are at rest.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech researchers have created a wearable device to accurately measure obstructive sleep apnea \u2014 when the body repeatedly stops and restarts breathing for a period \u2014 as well as the quality of sleep people get when they are at rest."}],"uid":"27299","created_gmt":"2023-06-09 15:46:54","changed_gmt":"2023-06-09 16:13:58","author":"Michael Hagearty","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-05-24T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-05-24T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_files":{"253932":{"fid":null,"name":"Testing the Wireless Sleep Apnea Patch","file_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/09\/yeo-sleeping.jpg","file_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/09\/yeo-sleeping.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2596421,"description":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Associate Professor W. Hong Yeo is shown sleeping with the wearable sleep apnea detection and sleep quality monitoring device he and a team of researchers and clinicians created.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n"},"253930":{"fid":null,"name":"Wireless Sleep Apnea Patch","file_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/09\/apnea-patch.png","file_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/09\/apnea-patch.png","mime":"image\/png","size":477027,"description":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe wearable sleep monitor patch, seen here, molds to the patient\u0027s face but only has the thickness and weight of an adhesive bandage.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n"},"253933":{"fid":null,"name":"W. Hong Yeo","file_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/09\/Yeo.jpg","file_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/06\/09\/Yeo.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1545714,"description":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech School of Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor W. Hong Yeo\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n"}},"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192744","name":"apnea"},{"id":"176417","name":"W. Hong Yeo"},{"id":"2378","name":"Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering"},{"id":"179822","name":"sleep"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EP\u00e9ralte C. Paul\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:peralte.paul@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Eperalte.paul@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E404.316.1210\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}