2023-11-17 18:14:03
New Capsule Could Revolutionize Sleep Apnea Diagnosis and Monitoring
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have made a groundbreaking development in the field of sleep apnea diagnosis and monitoring. Their innovation comes in the form of a swallowable capsule that can record pauses in breathing and heart rate from the digestive tract, making it unnecessary for patients to spend the night in a sleep lab.
The system has undergone successful tests on ten volunteers, showing promising results that could potentially make it easier to diagnose and treat patients with sleep apnea. Additionally, the capsule could also be used to monitor drug overdoses that affect breathing.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common condition that causes pauses in breathing at night, leading to symptoms such as exhaustion and a lack of rest despite sleeping for a long time. Diagnosing sleep apnea has historically been complicated, requiring sensors to be placed on the skin and connected to monitoring devices, followed by a visit to a sleep laboratory for a detailed examination.
The newly developed swallowable capsule, equipped with a highly sensitive accelerometer and a small transmitter, aims to simplify this process. The capsule, about the size of a multivitamin tablet, can monitor a user’s vital functions from the digestive tract and transmit the data to external devices such as a smartphone or laptop.
Initial tests on pigs showed that the capsule accurately measured breathing and heart rates and was easily excreted after use. In a clinical test on ten individuals, the capsule successfully recorded their vital functions, even identifying a sleep apnea episode in one of the study participants.
According to Giovanni Traverso, the lead researcher, the potential for the capsule goes beyond sleep apnea diagnosis and monitoring. It could also be used to conveniently monitor the effectiveness of therapy and detect early changes in breathing, particularly in cases of opioid overdoses.
The researchers now aim to further develop the system, with the possibility of incorporating a feature that could automatically release an opioid overdose reversal agent when a patient’s breathing rate slows or stops.
This innovative approach holds promise for the future of sleep apnea diagnosis and monitoring, offering a convenient and potentially life-saving solution for patients.]
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