FDA approves sleep-disorder detection device

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FDA approves sleep-disorder detection device

By Ault

NEW YORK, Jan 25 (Reuters Health) - The US Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) on Thursday approved a device, worn on the wrist while a patient

is asleep, that can detect sleep disorders.

The device, called the Watch PAT100, was developed by Itamar Medical and

will be marketed by Respironics. It uses a probe attached to the

fingertip to measure a person's peripheral arterial tone (PAT), or the

amount of blood flowing through blood vessels. This can help doctors

determine if a patient is suffering from sleep-related breathing

problems like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to Caesarea,

Israel-based Itamar.

OSA causes people to stop breathing for short periods during sleep. The

condition can cause loud snoring, repeated near-wakening and increased

blood pressure, and may increase the risk of stroke and heart attack. It

is most common in obese adults.

The new device records the PAT signal, as well as the amount of oxygen

in a patient's blood and his or her heart rate, for later analysis by a

sleep specialist. This could make testing for sleep disorders--which now

usually requires an overnight stay in a lab--easier for both patients

and doctors.

" Our experience with providing sleep-related technologies clearly shows

that the Watch PAT100 fills an important void in creating a simple,

cost-effective approach to the diagnosis of OSA, " Respironics CEO Jim

Liken said in an Itamar press release.

Respironics sells devices that provide continuous airway pressure--a

stream of air delivered via facemask that keeps airways open at

night--for patients who have sleep apnea.