New System for Evaluating Apnea Risk

A new easy-to-apply system provides for in-home diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The system, called ARES (apnea risk evaluation system), has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

ARES combines a miniaturized, battery-powered device to measure blood oxygen levels, pulse rate, snoring sounds, nasal pressure, and head position/movement, along with a questionnaire to assess known risk factors. A multisite clinical trial, including direct comparisons with laboratory testing and in-home studies on 280 participants, has shown that ARES is as accurate as a laboratory sleep study.

Untreated OSA patients are three to five times more likely to be involved in industrial or motor vehicle accidents, due to slower reaction times and impaired vigilance. ARES was developed by Advanced Brain Monitoring, Inc. (Carlsbad, CA, USA). The company is addressing OSA, memory dysfunction, and alertness monitoring with instrument systems that combine laboratory-level accuracy with the portability, ease-of-use and low cost of consumer electronics.

"There is a growing need for physicians, particularly those in occupational medicine, to have access to a convenient, inexpensive, and accurate method for diagnosing OSA and for monitoring the effectiveness of treatment,” said Chris Berka, CEO of Advanced Brain Monitoring.



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