An Exploratory Study of a Novel, Low-cost Sleep Apnoea Screening Device to Compare Its Capability to Identify Apnoeas and Hypopneas With Current Standard Sleep Apnoea Test Devices

During sleep, many people have times when they breathe shallowly or completely stop. If a person stops breathing for more than 10 seconds, this is called an 'apnoea'. If shallow breathing lasts for more than 10 seconds, it is called a 'hypopnoea'. If a person has these events frequently, it disrupts their sleep and they do not awake refreshed. It can also put strain on the heart, leading to cardiovascular conditions. These sleep disorders, usually called 'Sleep Apnoea', can be treated for most people using 'continuous positive airways pressure', CPAP. Current tests for sleep apnoea, usually used at home, are expensive, complicated for patients to use and do not monitor actual breathing. The new test, called Apne-Scan, is very simple and will cost less than the standard tests. It just requires the user to wear a mask, similar to ones used for CPAP treatment, overnight and then send the mask off for data analysis. The Apne-Scan mask, developed with taxpayer funding, is fitted with a pressure sensor to monitor actual breathing. People between the ages of 18-70 who have been referred to the sleep clinic at Royal Stoke University Hospital are eligible to participate in this exploratory study. They will wear the Apne-Scan mask at the same time as their standard overnight sleep apnoea test. The breathing data collected by Apne-Scan will be analysed by Apnea-Tech Limited, the device manufacturers, so that it can be compared to the data captured by the standard sleep apnoea test.