A Probabilistic Approach To The Diagnosis Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

Abstract-In a novel approach to diagnose Obstructive Sleep Apnea, electronic components including an Arduino Mega, a Bluetooth Transceiver, an accelerometer, and a air-quality sensor, were put together to create a wearable that would detect the frequency of apnea events, diagnose the disorder, and sound an alarm when necessary. A primary consideration was to make the mechanism accessible and affordable, and in doing so, lower the number of cases of Obstructive Sleep Apnea that go undiagnosed due to the cost and inconvenience associated with the traditional diagnosis method -a Polysomnogram. Bluetooth capability was an additional consideration so that the device would transmit data directly to an android smartphone, eliminating the need for an additional output mechanism. The total cost of the device, quite surprisingly, did not exceed $30, and therein rendered the device an accessible, affordable mechanism for diagnosis. Tests of the device on diagnosed patients yielded data consistent with the diagnosis, with a few false positives as a result of the excessive sensitivity of the sensors.