WO2019225887A1

WO2019225887A1 - Device and method for measuring sleep apnea severity

Info

Publication number: WO2019225887A1
Application number: PCT/KR2019/005529
Authority: WO
Inventors: 위헌
Original assignee: 주식회사 바이랩
Priority date: 2018-05-23
Filing date: 2019-05-09
Publication date: 2019-11-28
Also published as: KR102036087B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device and a method for measuring the severity and cause of sleep apnea to provide a treatment plan. A sleep apnea severity measuring device according to one embodiment of the present invention may comprise: a respiration management part, which injects air into a subject and collects respiration parameters of the subject on the basis of the injected air; an EIT data processing part, which comprises multiple electrodes to be attached to at least one portion among the chest and the neck of the subject, and measures one of a current and a voltage from the at least one portion through the attached multiple electrodes to generate image data regarding the inside of the subject; and a control part, which controls the respiration management part, controls the injected air, quantifies the generated image data and the collected respiration parameters according to the controlled air, and measures the degree of sleep apnea of the subjects.

Description

Apparatus and method for measuring sleep apnea severity

The present invention relates to a technical idea of providing a treatment plan of a subject by measuring sleep apnea severity, and using an amnometer and an impedance tomography device to measure a sleep apnea severity of a subject and to provide a treatment plan accordingly. And to a method.

Apnea is a phenomenon that lasts more than 10 seconds when the airflow decreases to less than 10% of normal during sleep.

Hyponea is a phenomenon in which respiratory airflow decreases between 10-70% of normal time for more than 10 seconds and at the same time, 3 or 4% decrease in blood oxygen saturation.

Sleep apnea diagnosis includes hospital polysomnography (PSG) and home sleep test (HST).

The polysomnography is designed for patients admitted to dedicated laboratories, including electroencephalogram (EGE), electrooculogram (EOG), electromyography (EGM), nasal and oral air flow, and nasal pressure during sleep. Nasal pressure, respiratory effort, electrocardiogram (ECG), sleep posture, and movement are measured to detect apnea and hypopnea along with sleep status.

The sleep polysomnography can determine whether each apnea and hypopnea are obstructive or central.

In addition, the polysomnography can determine respiratory effort related arousal (RERA).

This is calculated to calculate the AHI (apnea hypopnea index), which is the number of apnea and hypopnea per sleep hour. AHI can be a criterion for determining the extent of sleep apnea and for treating it.

Home sleep tests can estimate AHI by measuring several signals during nasal sleep, nasal pressure, respiratory effort, heart rate, sleep posture, and movement.

In sleep apnea diagnosis using sleep unit test or home sleep test, a patient with AHI of 15 or more may be prescribed a treatment plan such as positive airway pressure (PAP), mandibular advancement device or upper respiratory tract surgery.

However, if you diagnose sleep apnea with AHI, which is a simple indicator, it is difficult to identify the severity and cause of sleep apnea. Therefore, the problem of poor sleep apnea treatment is occurring.

To address this problem, several measurement methods have been proposed for OSA phenotyping.

However, the conventional methods have difficulty in clinical application using methods that are inaccurate or inconvenient for the measurement of lung capacity, respiratory effort, airway resistance, or the like with low accuracy using airflow data measured in the mouth or nose.

Therefore, there is a need to propose a method of improving the efficiency of clinical application by measuring the severity and cause of sleep apnea while reducing patient discomfort.

An object of the present invention can be to measure the severity of sleep apnea using a positive pressure and an impedance tomography apparatus.

The present invention can be aimed at identifying the severity and cause of sleep apnea to provide a treatment plan.

The present invention can be aimed to control the air injected by the positive pressure, and to measure the sleep apnea severity by quantifying the subject's breathing parameters and image data according to the controlled air.

The present invention can be aimed at controlling the air injected by the positive pressure, and quantifying the breathing parameters and image data of the subject according to the controlled air to calculate the sleep apnea diagnostic parameters.

The present invention can be aimed at providing a home or hospital sleep apnea diagnostic device for measuring sleep apnea severity.

The present invention can be aimed at measuring the reaction of a subject by controlling the air injected by the positive pressure.

The present invention may be aimed at reducing social costs by improving the treatment effect of sleep apnea, reducing direct and indirect medical costs due to sleep apnea, improving work productivity, preventing drowsy driving accidents, and improving quality of life.

The present invention can be aimed to diagnose the apnea severity by imaging the air distribution in the lung according to the opening and closing of the upper airway, and to establish and provide a treatment plan accordingly.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sleep apnea severity measurement device is a breath management unit for injecting air into the subject, collecting the breathing parameters of the subject based on the injected air, at least one portion of the chest and neck of the subject An EIT data processor and a respiration manager configured to generate an image data of the inside of the subject by measuring one of a current and a voltage from the at least one portion through the attached electrodes; However, the control unit may include a control unit configured to control the injected air and to quantify the generated image data and the collected respiration parameters according to the controlled air to measure the sleep apnea degree of the subject.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the EIT data processing unit includes at least one of the upper and lower EIT data processing unit and the chest EIT data processing unit, and controls the selection of at least one or more electrode pairs from the plurality of attached electrodes, A current may be supplied to the selected electrode pair, the voltage may be measured through the unselected electrodes, and image data of an internal change of at least one of the chest and the neck based on the controlled air may be generated.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit quantifies the image data of the internal change of the chest to calculate the change in the lung air volume of the subject, and based on the calculated change in the lung air volume at least one or more Diagnostic variables may be quantified and the sleep apnea may be measured using the quantified at least one diagnostic variable.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit may calculate a change in the volume of the lung air inside the air according to the change in the air pressure of the controlled air to measure the change in the reaction of the subject.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the at least one diagnostic variable may include: respiratory air volume and airflow during normal sleep of the subject, respiratory air volume and airflow causing arousal during sleep of the subject, and the upper airway of the subject one of the breathing air volume and airflow with the airway closed, the breathing air volume and airflow with the upper airway open, the gain and loop gain of the subject's breath control system, the upper airway (upper airway), gain, arousal threshold and response.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit quantifies the image data of the internal change of the neck, calculates the change in the upper airway area of the subject, and based on the calculated upper respiratory area change amount, at least one diagnostic variable. The amount of sleep apnea can be measured using the quantified at least one diagnostic variable.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit establishes a sleep apnea treatment plan of the subject based on the measured sleep apnea, and measures at least one of the measured sleep apnea and the established sleep apnea treatment plan. The display can be controlled to display.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the breathing management unit may collect the breathing parameters related to the air pressure and air flow in the airway of the subject according to the controlled air.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit may control the respiratory management unit to change the air pressure of the air injected into the airway of the subject by the change of time.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sleep apnea severity measurement method in the breath management unit, injecting air into the subject, the control unit, while controlling the breathing management unit, controlling the injected air, in the breathing management unit, Collecting the breathing parameter of the subject according to the controlled air, and in the EIT data processor, measuring the current and voltage from at least one of the chest and the neck of the subject, thereby measuring the chest and the chest based on the controlled air; Generating image data of at least one internal change of the neck and measuring the sleep apnea of the subject by quantifying the generated image data and the collected respiration parameters. .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the measuring of sleep apnea may include quantifying image data of an internal change of the chest to calculate a change amount of lung air volume in the subject, and calculating the calculated lung air volume. Quantifying at least one diagnostic variable based on the amount of change and measuring the degree of sleep apnea using the quantified at least one diagnostic variable.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of measuring the degree of sleep apnea may include calculating a change amount of the upper respiratory tract area of the subject by quantifying image data of an internal change of the neck, Quantifying at least one diagnostic variable based on the at least one diagnostic variable, and measuring the sleep apnea using the quantified at least one diagnostic variable.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sleep apnea severity measuring method includes quantifying the at least one or more diagnostic variables, wherein the at least one or more diagnostic variables include a volume and air flow of breath during normal sleep of the subject, and the subject. Breathing air volume and airflow causing arousal during sleep, breathing air volume and airflow with the upper airway closed, and breathing air volume with the upper airway open And airflow, one of the gain and loop gain of the subject's breath control system, the closure of the upper airway, the gain, the arousal threshold and the response.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sleep apnea severity measurement method may include: establishing, by the control unit, a sleep apnea treatment plan of the subject based on the measured sleep apnea, and in the control unit, the measured sleep apnea and The method may further include controlling the display to display at least one of the established sleep apnea treatment plans.

The present invention can measure the severity of sleep apnea using a positive pressure and an impedance tomography device.

The present invention can provide a treatment plan by identifying the severity and cause of sleep apnea.

According to the present invention, the sleep apnea severity can be measured by controlling the air injected by the positive pressure and quantifying the breathing parameter and the image data of the subject according to the controlled air.

According to the present invention, the sleep apnea diagnosis variable may be calculated by controlling the air injected by the positive pressure and quantifying the breathing parameter and the image data of the subject according to the controlled air.

The present invention can provide a home or hospital sleep apnea diagnostic device for measuring sleep apnea severity.

The present invention can measure the response of the subject by controlling the air injected by the positive pressure.

The present invention can reduce the social costs by improving the treatment effect of sleep apnea to reduce direct and indirect medical costs due to sleep apnea, improve work productivity, prevent drowsiness driving accidents, improve quality of life.

The present invention can diagnose the apnea severity by imaging the air distribution in the lungs according to the opening and closing of the upper airway, and can establish and provide a treatment plan accordingly.

1 is a view for explaining the connection configuration of the device for measuring sleep apnea severity according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a view for explaining the components of the device for measuring sleep apnea severity according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a view for explaining the components of the device for measuring sleep apnea severity according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a view for explaining a change in the response of the subject based on the operation of the device for measuring sleep apnea severity according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view illustrating a change in air pressure based on the operation of the device for measuring sleep apnea severity according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart related to a method for measuring sleep apnea severity according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The examples and terms used therein are not intended to limit the techniques described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives to the examples.

In the following description of the various embodiments, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, terms to be described below are terms defined in consideration of functions in various embodiments, and may vary according to a user's or operator's intention or custom. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar components.

Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In this document, expressions such as "A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may include all possible combinations of items listed together.

Expressions such as "first," "second," "first," or "second," etc. may modify the components, regardless of order or importance, to distinguish one component from another. Used only and do not limit the components.

When any (eg first) component is said to be "connected (functionally or communicatively)" or "connected" to another (eg second) component, the other component is said other It may be directly connected to the component or may be connected through another component (for example, the third component).

In this specification, "configured to" is modified to have the ability to "suitable," "to," "to," depending on the context, for example, hardware or software. Can be used interchangeably with "made to", "doing", or "designed to".

In some situations, the expression “device configured to” may mean that the device “can” together with other devices or components.

For example, the phrase “processor configured (or configured to) perform A, B, and C” may be implemented by executing a dedicated processor (eg, an embedded processor) to perform its operation, or one or more software programs stored in a memory device. It may mean a general purpose processor (eg, a CPU or an application processor) capable of performing the corresponding operations.

Also, the term 'or' means inclusive or 'inclusive or' rather than 'exclusive or'.

In other words, unless stated otherwise or unclear from the context, the expression 'x uses a or b' means any one of natural inclusive permutations.

The terms '.. unit' and '.. group' used below mean a unit for processing at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

Specifically, Figure 1 illustrates an environment in which the sleep apnea severity measuring apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention measures the sleep apnea severity and the cause of the subject in an invasive or non-invasive method.

Referring to FIG. 1, the sleep apnea severity measuring apparatus 100 includes a breathing management unit 110, an electrical impedance tomography (EIT) data processor 120, and a controller 130.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sleep apnea severity measuring apparatus 100 injects air into the airway of the subject 140 through the mask 111 worn by the subject 140 or the subject 140. Collect respiratory parameters.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the breathing management unit 110 may provide an accurate inhalation and exhalation pressure or a single breathing amount according to the degree of ring function of the subject 140.

In one example, the breathing management unit 110 may inject air into the subject 140 while changing the amount of air injection according to the degree of ring function of the subject 140 through the mask 111.

For example, the respiration manager 110 may detect an air pressure and an airflow signal inside the mask 111.

The breathing management unit 110 may include an air pump, and control the air pump to control the pressure and volume of the injected air.

For example, the respiratory management unit 110 may inject air and collect respiration parameters of the subject 140 according to the air injection.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus 100 includes an EIT data processor 120 that collects impedance data from the subject 140.

In one example, the EIT data processor 120 collects impedance data through the chest electrode 121 and the neck electrode 122.

In addition, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the chest electrode part 121 may have a plurality of electrodes formed on the base plate at regular intervals.

For example, the base plate may have a constant length and width so as to measure impedance while being placed on a measurement target area including the chest or abdomen of the subject 140, but the length and width may vary depending on the embodiment. It is possible, and is not limited to the chest electrode portion 121.

For example, the chest electrode unit 121 is attached to the chest of the subject 140 to arrange the plurality of electrodes in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional manner in the electric field distribution on the surface near the chest by changing the electrode arrangement structure and measurement structure Can be measured effectively.

For example, the chest electrode 121 may include a plurality of electrodes for current injection and voltage sensing.

In addition, the chest electrode unit 121 may supply a current to at least one or more selected electrode pairs of the plurality of electrodes, and measure a voltage through the unselected electrodes.

For example, the plurality of electrodes included in the chest electrode portion 121 are attached at a predetermined interval at the proper position of the chest, such as between ribs 5-6, and the chest electrode portion 121 injects an alternating current between the selected electrodes. Measure the induced voltage with the remaining electrodes.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the EIT data processor 120 may image the impedance data acquired through the chest electrode unit 121 to quantify the air distribution and volume in the lung.

That is, the EIT data processor 120 may generate image data related to the air distribution and volume of the lung located in the chest based on the voltage measured by the chest electrode 121.

According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the neck electrode 122 may have a plurality of electrodes formed on the base plate at regular intervals.

For example, the base plate may have a constant length and width so as to measure impedance in a state around the subject's neck, but the length and width may be modified according to the embodiment, and limited to the neck electrode portion 122. It doesn't work.

For example, the neck electrode 122 is attached to the subject's neck to effectively measure the electric field distribution on the surface near the chest by changing the electrode arrangement structure and the measurement structure in a manner of arranging a plurality of electrodes in two or three dimensions. can do.

In one example, the neck electrode 122 may include a plurality of electrodes for current injection and voltage sensing.

In addition, the neck electrode 122 may supply a current to at least one or more selected electrode pairs of the plurality of electrodes, and measure a voltage through the unselected electrodes.

For example, the EIT data processor 120 may image the impedance data acquired through the neck electrode 122 to quantify the degree of closure of the upper airway.

For example, the EIT data processor 120 measures impedance using the chest electrode 121 or the neck electrode 122, and generates image data of the lung or the airway using the measured impedance. can do.

In addition, the EIT data processor 120 repeats the measurement while injecting a current between the various electrodes. The measured voltage data induced by the plurality of injection currents can be used to reconstruct the electrical conductivity change of the chest cross section into an image.

Here, the EIT data processor 120 may perform image restoration at a speed of 25 images per second.

For example, the conductivity value of lung tissue may be inversely proportional to the volume of air in the alveoli in that tissue.

Therefore, by adding all the pixel values of each image or by adding the pixel values belonging to the closed region, the signal may indicate that the air volume inside the lung has changed over time.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 130 may control the EIT data processor 120 and the respiratory manager 110.

For example, the controller 130 may measure the air distribution and volume change in the lungs of the subject based on the impedance data obtained by controlling the EIT data processor 120.

In addition, the controller 130 may control the air injection amount based on the respiratory parameters collected through the respiratory management unit 110 and the lung air distribution and volume change or the area change of the upper airway measured by the EIT data processor 120. .

According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the control unit 130 maintains one of the volume and pressure of the air injected through the mask, the output value of the respiratory management unit 110 to the output value corresponding to one of the maintained volume and pressure It is determined by the value, it can be controlled to maintain the injected air according to the determined output titration value.

That is, the present invention can determine the output appropriate value as the output of the breathing management unit 120 can continuously supply the air corresponding to the determined output.

For example, the controller 130 controls the breathing management unit 110 so that the air injected at the determined output proper value is maintained, but when the state change of the subject is detected through the EIT data processing unit 120, the detected state change Therefore, the air injected through the mask is controlled.

That is, the controller 130 may maintain the output of the air injected through the respiration manager 110 in general, and may be set to automatically control the output of the air when necessary.

Therefore, the present invention can increase the efficiency of non-invasive mechanical ventilation treatment using a combination of the existing non-invasive treatment method and electrical impedance tomography (EIT) method.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus 100 may perform signal processing related to the collection of impedance data and respiration parameters simultaneously with the sleep apnea treatment.

That is, the sleep apnea severity measuring apparatus 100 may simultaneously perform imaging of impedance data and collection of respiratory parameters while treating sleep apnea symptoms of the subject 140 in an invasive or non-invasive manner.

For example, imaging of the impedance data may be included in the process of generating the image data.

Sleep apnea severity measuring apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention to measure the sleep apnea severity, and provides a treatment plan and components of the sleep apnea severity measuring apparatus 100 in the description of Figure 2 It demonstrates more concretely.

Figure 2 is a configuration of the apparatus for measuring sleep apnea severity according to an embodiment of the present invention

It is a figure explaining a cow.

Referring to Figure 2, according to an embodiment of the present invention sleep apnea severity measurement

The tooth 200 includes a respiratory manager 210, an EIT data processor 220, and a controller 230.

In one example, the breathing management unit 210 injects air to the subject 250, and is injected

The breathing parameters of the subject 250 may be collected based on air.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the breathing management unit 210 may collect the breathing parameters related to the air pressure and air flow in the airway of the subject 250 according to the change in the air pressure of the air.

That is, the breathing management unit 210 may collect the breathing parameters for the air pressure and air flow in the airway of the subject 250 according to the change in the air pressure of the injected air.

For example, the breath management unit 210 may include an invasive ventilator, a non-invasive ventilator, and a positive pressure regulator.

According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the EIT data processor 220 includes a plurality of electrodes attached to at least one portion of the chest and the neck of the subject 250, and the EIT data processing unit 220 includes a plurality of electrodes from at least one portion through the attached electrodes. One of the current and the voltage may be measured to generate image data about the inside of the subject 250.

For example, the EIT data processor 220 may include the upper airway EIT data processor 221 and the chest EIT data processor 222.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the EIT data processor 220 may control the selection of at least one or more electrode pairs among the plurality of attached electrodes.

In addition, the EIT data processor 220 may supply a current to the selected electrode pair, measure a voltage through the unselected electrodes, and generate image data of an internal change of at least one of the chest and the neck based on the controlled air. Can be.

For example, the upper airway EIT data processor 221 may generate image data about changes in the neck according to the change of air injected into the airway of the subject 250 by the respiratory manager 210. Here, the image data about the change in the neck may include a change in area of the upper airway.

For example, the chest EIT data processor 222 may generate image data about a change in the chest due to a change in air injected into the airway of the subject 250 by the breathing manager 210. Here, the image data of the internal chest change may include a change in volume of the lung.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 230 may calculate an amount of change in the lung air volume of the subject by quantifying the image data of the internal change of the chest.

In addition, the controller 230 may quantify at least one or more diagnostic variables based on the calculated lung internal air volume change, and measure the degree of sleep apnea using the quantified at least one diagnostic variable.

For example, the controller 230 may measure the sleep apnea severity based on the sleep apnea degree.

In addition, the controller 230 may determine that the sleep apnea severity is high when a value corresponding to the degree of sleep apnea is measured to be higher than a reference value.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 230 may measure a change in the reaction of the subject by calculating an amount of change in the air volume inside the lung according to the change in the air pressure of the controlled air.

For example, the controller 230 may calculate an amount of change in the upper airway area of the subject by quantifying image data of an internal change of the neck.

In addition, the controller 230 may quantify at least one or more diagnostic variables based on the calculated upper respiratory tract area change, and measure sleep apnea using the quantified at least one diagnostic variable.

For example, the upper respiratory tract area variation may include a degree of closure of the upper respiratory tract.

For example, the at least one diagnostic variable may include the respiratory air volume and airflow during normal sleep of the subject 250, the respiratory air volume and airflow causing arousal during sleep of the subject 250, and the upper respiratory tract of the subject 250 being closed. Respiratory air volume and airflow in the open state, respiratory air volume and airflow in the open upper airway, one of the gain and loop gain of the breath control system of the subject 250, the upper airway obstruction, gain, arousal threshold And reactions.

That is, the controller 230 changes the air pressure of the air injected into the subject 250, and based on the collected breathing parameters and the image data, the volume and air flow of the breathing air during normal sleep of the subject 250, and the subject 250 of the subject 250. Sleep apnea severity can be measured according to the volume and air flow of the breathing air that causes arousal during sleep.

In addition, the controller 230 controls the air pressure of the air injected into the subject 250 to 0 cmH 2 O, and sleeps according to the respiratory air volume and airflow in the closed upper airway, and the respiratory air volume and airflow in the open airway. The apnea severity can be measured.

In addition, the controller 230 may determine the cause of the sleep apnea based on the measured sleep apnea severity.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 230 establishes a sleep apnea treatment plan of the subject 250 based on the measured sleep apnea, and displays at least one of the measured sleep apnea and sleep apnea treatment plan. The display 240 may be controlled.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 230 may control the breathing management unit 210 to change the air pressure of the air injected into the airway of the subject 250 by the breathing management unit 210 according to the change of time.

In addition, the present invention can provide a treatment plan by identifying the severity and cause of sleep apnea.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the sleep apnea severity measurement device may further include a display 240.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the display 240 may include a touch screen capable of performing an operation of a predetermined set of functions through a screen including a touch sensing area.

For example, basic input and control for the operation of the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus 200 may be performed on the display 240.

The display 240 may display a plurality of touch items to perform an operation of a predetermined function set.

In addition, when the subject 250 or another user touches the display 240, the display 240 may provide a user interface such as a main menu or a root menu.

Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration in which the sleep apnea severity measuring device 310 is configured as a separate device from the respiratory management device 300 and connected to the respiratory management device 300 in a wired manner.

That is, the sleep apnea severity measurement device 310 may be directly connected to the respiration management device 300 through a serial cable or may be connected through short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus 310 may include the EIT data processor 220 and the controller 230 described with reference to FIG. 2.

For example, the sleep apnea severity measurement device 310 may generate image data by collecting impedance data through electrodes attached to a neck and a chest of the subject 320.

In addition, the sleep apnea severity measurement device 310 may control the air injected by the respiratory management device 300.

In addition, the sleep apnea severity measuring device 310 may establish a sleep apnea treatment plan of the subject 320 based on the sleep apnea degree, and control the display to display at least one of the sleep apnea degree and the sleep apnea treatment plan. have.

That is, the device for measuring sleep apnea severity 310 may provide a treatment plan corresponding to the sleep apnea severity and cause while measuring and providing the sleep apnea severity and cause.

Specifically, (a) of FIG. 4 is a graph corresponding to a case where the sleep apnea severity measuring device generates the first stimulus 401 and the second stimulus 402 to the subject by controlling the air pressure of the air injected by the respiratory care unit. To illustrate.

FIG. 4B illustrates a graph showing a change in lung air volume measured by the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus by quantifying image data generated by the EIT data processor.

Referring to FIG. 4, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus reduces the air pressure injected into the subject to generate a first stimulus 401 to the subject, and generates a first response 411 based on the image data generated by the EIT data processor. Measure

In addition, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus measures the second response 412 based on the image data generated by the EIT data processor.

In one example, the sleep apnea severity measurement device controls the breathing management unit to increase the air pressure of the injected air to generate a second stimulus (402).

In addition, the sleep apnea severity measurement device is based on the image data generated by the EIT data processor, the third response 413, the fourth response 414 corresponding to the change in the volume of the air volume inside the lungs, which is changed according to the second stimulus 402. ) And the fifth reaction 415 can be measured.

For example, the sleep apnea severity measurement device reduces the air pressure injected into the subject, maintains the reduced air pressure for a certain time, and increases the air pressure after a certain time, thereby performing the first reaction 411 to the fifth reaction 415. Measure

For example, when the sleep apnea severity measurement device generates the second stimulus 402, the sleep apnea severity measurement device may determine the third response 413 as a disturbance caused by a change in air pressure of the air injected by the respiratory manager.

In addition, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus may calculate the loop gain of the subject when the lung air volume corresponding to the third reaction 413 is excluded from the lung air volume corresponding to the fourth reaction 414.

For example, the sleep apnea severity measuring apparatus 200 may calculate the upper airway gain by dividing the subject's lung volume change or upper respiratory tract area change by the change amount of air injected by the respiratory management unit. For example, the upper respiratory tract area change amount may be changed based on the degree of closure of the upper respiratory tract.

That is, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus 200 may measure the sleep apnea severity based on the lung volume change or the degree of upper airway obstruction and the change in air injected by the respiratory care unit obtained by quantifying the image data.

Referring to FIG. 5, the vertical axis of the graph of air pressure change may represent air pressure, and the horizontal axis may represent the breathing frequency or time of the subject.

For example, the graph of air pressure change may indicate a change in air pressure of air injected by the sleep apnea severity measurement device to control the breathing management unit.

Looking at the air pressure change graph, the air pressure change graph includes a manual falling section, a section for decreasing by one minute, a section maintaining the same air pressure, an active falling section and a dial-up section.

It includes a section in which the air pressure drops from 10cmH20 to 0cmH20 in the manual falling section.

The section for reducing by one minute includes a section for changing the air pressure from 10cmH20 to 4cmH20.

The section maintaining the same air pressure includes a section in which the air pressure is maintained 4cmH20.

The active falling section includes a section where the air pressure decreases from 4 cmH20 to 0 cmH20 and then returns to 4 cmH20.

The dial up section includes a section in which the air pressure increases from 4cmH20 to 10cmH20 and then returns to 4cmH20.

In addition, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus may determine a section corresponding to the minimum air pressure when the same air pressure is injected on the basis of the section to reduce by one minute.

For example, in the sleep apnea severity measurement device, the breath management unit may have a minimum air pressure of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) of 4 cmH20.

In addition, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus may determine the minimum air pressure corresponding to the subject's arousal while changing the air pressure as shown in the air pressure change graph.

Specifically, FIG. 6 illustrates a procedure in which the sleep apnea severity measuring method controls the breathing management unit and the EIT data processor to measure the sleep apnea severity of the subject.

Referring to FIG. 6, in the sleep apnea severity measurement method, air may be injected into the subject at step 601.

That is, in the sleep apnea severity measurement method, the air may be injected into the subject's airway through a mask by controlling the pump of the respiratory management unit.

Sleep apnea severity measurement method in step 602 may control the air injected into the airway of the subject by controlling the pump of the breathing management.

That is, the sleep apnea severity measurement method may control the breathing management unit to change the air pressure of the air injected into the airway of the subject by the change of time.

In step 603, the sleep apnea severity measurement method may collect the subject's breathing parameters.

That is, the sleep apnea severity measurement method may collect the breathing parameters of the subject based on the change in the air pressure of the air injected by the breathing management.

For example, respiratory parameters may include air pressure and airflow in the subject's airways.

In operation 604, the method of measuring sleep apnea severity may generate image data of an internal change of the subject.

That is, the sleep apnea severity measurement method measures the current and voltage from at least one of the chest and neck of the subject to generate image data of the internal change of at least one of the chest and the neck based on the controlled air. can do.

In step 605, the sleep apnea severity measurement method may measure sleep apnea by quantifying image data and respiration parameters.

That is, the sleep apnea severity measurement method quantifies the image data of the internal change of the chest or the neck to calculate the change in the lung air volume or the upper airway area of the subject, and based on the calculated change in the lung air volume at least one or more Diagnostic variables may be quantified and sleep apnea may be measured using at least one quantified diagnostic variable.

In step 606, the sleep apnea severity measurement method may provide a measured sleep apnea and sleep apnea treatment plan.

The method according to the embodiment may be embodied in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination.

The program instructions recorded on the media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the embodiments, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and magnetic disks, such as floppy disks. Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like.

Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

Although the embodiments have been described by the limited embodiments and the drawings as described above, various modifications and variations are possible to those skilled in the art from the above description. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order than the described method, and / or components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components. Or even if replaced or substituted by equivalents, an appropriate result can be achieved.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are within the scope of the claims that follow.

Claims

A breath management unit for injecting air into a subject and collecting breathing parameters of the subject based on the injected air;

And a plurality of electrodes attached to at least one portion of the chest and neck of the subject, and measuring one of current and voltage from the at least one region through the attached plurality of electrodes to measure image data of the inside of the subject. EIT data processing unit for generating a; And

Sleep apnea, including a control unit for controlling the breathing management, controlling the injected air, quantifying the generated image data and the collected respiratory parameters according to the controlled air to measure the degree of sleep apnea of the subject Severity measurement device.
The method of claim 1,

The EIT data processing unit,

At least one of the upper airway EIT data processor and the chest EIT data processor;

Control the selection of at least one or more electrode pairs in the attached plurality of electrodes, supply current to the selected electrode pair, measure a voltage through the unselected electrodes, the chest based on the controlled air and the Sleep apnea severity measurement device that generates image data for internal changes in at least one of the necks.
The method of claim 2,

The control unit,

Quantifying image data of internal changes in the chest to calculate a change in lung air volume in the subject, quantifying at least one or more diagnostic variables based on the calculated change in lung air volume, and at least one of the quantified Sleep apnea severity measurement device for measuring the degree of sleep apnea using a diagnostic variable.
The method of claim 3,

The control unit, the sleep apnea severity measurement device for measuring the change in the response of the subject by calculating the volume change of the air volume inside the lungs according to the change in the air pressure of the controlled air.
The method of claim 3,

The at least one diagnostic variable may include at least one of respiratory air volume and airflow during normal sleep of the subject, respiratory air volume and airflow causing arousal during sleep of the subject, and the upper airway of the subject in a closed state. Respiratory air volume and airflow, respiratory air volume and airflow with the upper airway open, one of the gain and loop gain of the subject's breath control system, the closure of the upper airway, gain Sleep apnea severity measurement device comprising an arousal threshold and the response.
The method of claim 5,

The control unit,

Quantifying image data of an internal change of the neck to calculate the change in the upper airway area of the subject, quantifying at least one diagnostic variable based on the calculated upper airway area change, and quantifying the at least one diagnostic variable Sleep apnea severity measurement device for measuring the degree of sleep apnea using.
The method of claim 6,

The at least one diagnostic variable may include at least one of respiratory air volume and airflow during normal sleep of the subject, respiratory air volume and airflow causing arousal during sleep of the subject, and the upper airway of the subject in a closed state. Respiratory air volume and airflow, respiratory air volume and airflow with the upper airway open, one of the gain and loop gain of the subject's breath control system, the closure of the upper airway, gain Sleep apnea severity measurement device comprising an arousal threshold and the response.
The method of claim 1,

The control unit,

And a sleep apnea severity measurement device for establishing a sleep apnea treatment plan of the subject based on the measured sleep apnea and controlling the display to display at least one of the measured sleep apnea and the established sleep apnea treatment plan.
The method of claim 1,

The breathing management unit, sleep apnea severity measurement device for collecting the respiratory parameters associated with the air pressure and air flow in the airway of the subject according to the controlled air.
The method of claim 9,

The control unit, the sleep apnea severity measurement apparatus for controlling the breathing control unit to change the air pressure of the air injected into the airway of the subject according to the change of time.
In the respiratory care unit, injecting air into the subject;

A control unit, controlling the respiratory management unit, controlling the injected air;

Collecting, by the breath management unit, a breathing parameter of the subject according to the controlled air;

In the EIT data processing unit, by measuring one of the current and voltage from at least one of the chest and neck of the subject to generate the image data for the internal change of at least one of the chest and the neck based on the controlled air step; And

And measuring the sleep apnea severity of the subject by quantifying the generated image data and the collected respiratory parameters.
The method of claim 11,

Measuring the sleep apnea is,

Quantifying the image data of the internal change of the chest to calculate an amount of air volume change in the lungs of the subject;

Quantifying at least one diagnostic variable based on the calculated amount of change in lung air volume; And

And measuring the sleep apnea degree using the quantified at least one diagnostic variable.
The method of claim 11,

Measuring the sleep apnea is,

Calculating an amount of change in the upper airway area of the subject by quantifying image data of an internal change of the neck;

Quantifying at least one diagnostic variable based on the calculated upper respiratory tract area change;

And measuring the sleep apnea degree using the quantified at least one diagnostic variable.
The method of claim 12,

The at least one diagnostic variable may include at least one of respiratory air volume and airflow during normal sleep of the subject, respiratory air volume and airflow causing arousal during sleep of the subject, and the upper airway of the subject in a closed state. Respiratory air volume and airflow, respiratory air volume and airflow with the upper airway open, one of the gain and loop gain of the subject's breath control system, the closure of the upper airway, gain A sleep apnea severity measurement method comprising arousal threshold and response.
The method of claim 11,

Establishing, by the control unit, a sleep apnea treatment plan of the subject based on the measured sleep apnea; And

And controlling, by the control unit, a display to display at least one of the measured sleep apnea and the established sleep apnea treatment plan.