Low-cost sleep apnoea screening device

Innovate UK授予Apnea-Tech Limited一项拨款，以完成一项激进、低成本扫描设备的可行性研究，临床医生和医疗保健专业人员将使用该设备对患者进行阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停(OSA)扫描。OSA是一种慢性呼吸系统疾病，其特征是睡眠期间上呼吸道频繁塌陷，抑制正常呼吸。这会导致睡眠质量不佳和白天昏昏欲睡。经历过呼吸暂停事件的人中约有90%患有阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停。OSA与糖尿病、高血压和其他心血管疾病有关。研究估计，全球有9.36亿人患有OSA。即使在发达市场，仍有超过70%的人没有得到诊断，因此没有得到治疗。在英国，据估计有150万人患有阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合症，但目前只有33万人得到了诊断和治疗。阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停可以得到有效的治疗，85%的患者使用CPAP设备。Apnea-Tech已经确定了一个明确的、尚未得到满足的国际需求，即需要一种低成本的诊断辅助工具，帮助临床医生识别患有睡眠呼吸暂停的人。研究表明，增加对睡眠呼吸暂停的诊断将降低医疗成本，提高患者的生活质量，并降低社会成本(减少与工作有关的伤害)。目前的诊断辅助设备只能通过专科诊所获得，购买昂贵，使用相对昂贵的消耗品，并且可供多个患者使用，需要增加清洁方案以控制感染。Apnea-Tech的变革性ApneScan概念比目前的OSA诊断技术有三个优势：*低成本*使用简单*一次性单用户设备该公司预测其技术将有一个重要的市场机会，使患者和临床医生受益。健康经济咨询办公室和英国肺基金会的一份研究报告得出结论，增加对OSA的诊断和治疗，以覆盖所有中到重度OSA患者，将使NHS每年减少2800万GB的成本，并在英国防止多达4万起与疲劳相关的事故，节省9.3亿GB的成本。InnoInnoUK资助的开发项目的主要目标是评估一种低成本阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停扫描设备的可行性。主要有四个可交付成果：1.几个概念验证演示设备2.初始使用评估3.商业化计划4。专利申请Apnea-Tech Limited是一家新成立的MedTech SME，由两名高技能和经验丰富的个人领导，他们是医疗器械开发、传感器开发和评估、呼吸监测、高级分析技术、数据管理、业务开发和商业化以及项目管理方面的专家。

Innovate UK has awarded a grant to Apnea-Tech Limited to complete a feasibility study on a radical, low cost scanning device to be used by clinicians and healthcare professionals to scan people for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).OSA is a chronic respiratory condition characterised by frequent episodes of upper airway collapse during sleep, inhibiting normal respiration. This results in poor sleep quality and daytime drowsiness. About 90% of people who experience apnoeic events have OSA. OSA is linked to diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.Research estimates that 936 million people globally suffer from OSA. Even in developed markets, over 70% remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated. In the UK it is estimated that 1.5 million people have OSA but currently only 330,000 are diagnosed and treated. OSA can be treated effectively, with 85% of patients using CPAP devices.Apnea-Tech has identified a clear and unmet need internationally for a low-cost diagnostic aid that assists clinicians to identify people with sleep apnoea. Research shows that increasing the diagnosis of sleep apnoea will decrease healthcare costs, improve the patients' quality of life and reduce societal costs (fewer work related injuries).Current diagnostic aides are only available through specialist clinics, are expensive to purchase, use relatively expensive consumables and are used by multiple patients, requiring increased cleaning protocols for infection control. Apnea-Tech's transformational ApneScan concept has three advantages over current OSA diagnostic technology:* Low cost* Simplicity of use* Disposable single-user deviceThe company is forecasting a significant market opportunity for its technology, benefiting patients and clinicians. A research report from Office of Health Economics Consulting and the British Lung Foundation concluded that increasing diagnosis and treatment of OSA to cover all patients with moderate-to-severe OSA will reduce NHS costs by £28m per year and prevent up to 40,000 fatigue-related accidents in the UK, saving costs of £930m.The primary objective of the Innovate UK funded development project is to assess the feasibility of a low-cost obstructive sleep apnoea scanning device. There are four main deliverables:1. Several proof-of-concept demonstrator devices2. Initial usage assessment3. Commercialisation plan4. Patent applicationApnea-Tech Limited is a newly-formed start-up MedTech SME which is led by two highly-skilled and experienced individuals recognised as experts in medical device development, sensor development and evaluation, respiratory monitoring, advanced analysis techniques, data management, business development and commercialisation, and project management.