Functional design of an add-on device retrofit to Continuous-Positive-Airway-Pressure (CPAP) for improved breathing of patients with Sleep Apnea

睡眠呼吸暂停是一种呼吸障碍，它会导致人在睡觉时跳过呼吸，导致身体和大脑中的氧气含量低，以及情绪消耗。如果不加以解决，情绪的流失就会变得非常严重，并导致身体健康状况的恶化。在这种情况下，呼吸辅助装置已经在市场上广泛使用，但目前需要改善患者的舒适度。据了解，它们向用户提供的帮助不是不够就是太多。虽然呼吸需求（以及相关的舒适度）因患者而异，同一患者的呼吸也因呼吸而异，但目前的设备仅提供一刀切的解决方案，不能解决这些个性化的参数。因此，大多数被诊断患有睡眠障碍的患者没有使用他们的处方设备，这给医疗保健系统带来了巨大的成本。NovaResp Technologies Inc. （NovaResp）是新斯科舍省的一家公司，因此专门开发呼吸辅助医疗设备。**NovaResp最近开发了一种附加设备（BreatheAlong）的概念，用于改进用于睡眠呼吸暂停患者的持续气道正压通气（CPAP）机器。该公司目前正在与新斯科舍省社区学院（NSCC）合作，以评估BreatheAlong的功能设计。这将有助于生成可靠的数据，以证明产品设计在预期使用方面的有效性，以及产品对目标市场（包括客户和消费者）的可接受性。因此，该项目的成果将有助于NovaResp获得有关BreatheAlong的宝贵知识，并支持该公司在该领域发展业务的努力，并将拟议的设备推向市场。

Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder that causes a person to skip breaths while sleeping, resulting in low oxygen levels in the body and brain, and an emotional drain. When not addressed, the emotional drain becomes significant, spiraling in deteriorating physical health. In this context, breathing assistance devices are already widespread in the market, but present a need for an improved patient comfort. They have been known to provide either inadequate or too much assistance to the user. While breathing needs (and the associated comfort level) vary from patient to patient, and from breath to breath for the same patient, the current devices only offer a one-size-fits-all solution and do not address these individualized parameters. As a result, the majority of patients diagnosed with sleep disorders do not use their prescribed devices, which generates huge costs to the healthcare system. NovaResp Technologies Inc. (NovaResp), a Nova Scotia company therefore specializes in developing breathing-assist medical devices. **NovaResp has recently developed a concept for an add-on device (the BreatheAlong) to retrofit Continuous-Positive-Airway-Pressure (CPAP) machines for patients with Sleep Apnea. The company is now collaborating with Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) to evaluate the functional design of the BreatheAlong. This will help generate reliable data to demonstrate the validity of the product design in terms of use as anticipated, and the product acceptability to the target market, including customers and consumers. Therefore, the outcome of this project will help NovaResp gain valuable knowledge regarding the BreatheAlong and support the company's efforts to grow its business in the sector and bring the proposed device to market.