Infrared imaging for sleep apnea diagnosis shows promise

Sleep apnea is commonly diagnosed by way of measuring airflow by nasal pressure, temperature, and/or carbon dioxide, through sensors placed in the nose. However, this method is uncomfortable to some and can potentially disturb sleep. But new research, presented at CHEST 2009, the 73rd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that remote infrared imaging can monitor airflow and accurately detect abnormalities during sleep, without ever coming in contact with the patient. The study indicates that the new method is ideal because it is portable and can monitor sleep in a natural environment.
Researchers recorded the heat signals expired from patients' nostrils or mouth using an infrared camera during 1 hour of polysomnography. To minimize any bias, airflow channels were recorded and analyzed separately. Results were then compared with those obtained through the conventional methods of sleep apnea diagnosis, including nasal pressure, nasal-oral thermistors, and capnography.
Upon completion, results showed that IR-I detected 20 sleep-disordered breathing events, compared with 22 events detected by the nasal-oral thermistor, and 19 events detected by nasal pressure. Given the outcome, researchers suggest that IR-I was in near-perfect agreement with conventional methods and that it represents a noncontact alternative to standard nasal-oral thermistors.

Source: News-Medical.net