Development of wearable textile to monitor leg edema

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Sleep apnea is a chronic respiratory disorder which involves frequent collapse of the upper airway during sleep.Sleep apnea affects 10% of adults, and it is becoming more prevalent as the population ages and becomes moreobese and sedentary. Sleep apnea increases the risk of stroke, hypertension, and heart disease by three fold,which together account for 67% of all direct Canadian healthcare costs. Due to the complex nature of sleepapnea, it is challenging to find the optimum treatment for patients and 50-80% of patients are not compliantwith their treatment, which amplifies the importance of developing personalized and alternative treatments forsleep apnea. We have demonstrated a novel mechanism that worsens sleep apnea. Sedentary lifestyle increasesfluid retention in the legs during the day. When lying down to sleep, part of this fluid moves to the neck andworsens sleep apnea. We have shown that preventing fluid retention in the legs with compression stockings orexercise improves sleep apnea. Currently, there is no technology to continuously monitor leg fluid volumes forpredicting sleep apnea risk at home over time.Myant is a Toronto based company which focuses on the development and manufacturing of wearabletechnologies for a wide variety of applications. They have developed technology to seamlessly embedelectronics into textiles. With Myant's technical expertise and knowledge in electronic textiles and wearabledevices, and our expertise in fluid-related sleep apnea, we will develop and validate a stocking capable ofcontinuously monitoring fluid volumes in the legs. This electronic garment will be accompanied by auser-friendly application to form a personalized health care solution that enables the patient to optimize theirtreatment and prevent leg fluid accumulation and associated sleep apnea.