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SleepStrip Disposable Sleep
Apnea Sensor - The Sleep Strip is a novel, low-cost device designed to screen patients for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) reliably and
conveniently.
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The Food and Drug
Administration has approved a novel device that inexpensively and accurately
screens for sleep apnea at home. Characterized by the temporary cessation of
breathing during sleep, sleep apnea could affect as many as 18 million people
in the United States alone, particularly men over the age of 35.
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The patient fastens the
4-inch long plastic strip, which is informally known as the "Sleep Moustache"
to his upper lip before bed. Three tiny temperature sensors attached to the
strip record when the patient stops breathing, which in a sleep apnea sufferer
can happen 200 to 300 times a night. In the morning, the patient removes the
strip and returns it to the doctor who reads the results directly from the
built-in display. The device is powered by a tiny eight-hour battery. For more
detailed information about the SleepStrip™, see How Does the SleepStrip™ Work?
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SleepStrip™ was developed at
the Sleep Research Laboratory at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology
in Haifa by renowned sleep expert Dr. Peretz Lavie and Noam Hadas, head of
research and development for SLP, a sister company of the laboratory.
Researchers in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Israel, Canada and the United
States have used SleepStrip™ to successfully screen patients with sleep apnea
after one-night tests.
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"It's important to detect
sleep apnea as soon as possible because it can be a precursor to hypertension,
ischemic heart disease, heart attack and stroke," says Dr. Lavie, who heads
the Technion Sleep Research Laboratory. "With SleepStrip™ we can scan entire
segments of the population, such as severely obese people and those with high
blood pressure."
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The National Center on Sleep
Disorders Research reports that as many as two to four percent of middle-aged
American men and two percent of middle-aged American women suffer from sleep
apnea. Only 10 percent of those with sleep apnea are actually diagnosed,
according to the National Sleep Foundation. This may be due to lack of
awareness of sleep apnea, as well as the inconvenience, lack of privacy,
discomfort and expense of spending a night in a sleep lab, which can cost from
$1,100 to $4,000. While the SleepStrip™ doesn't replace a night in a sleep
clinic, the patent-pending device can identify patients who need to go to one.
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"Patients find the
SleepStrip™ convenient and easy to use," Dr. Krespi says. "Most people don't
like to be tested in a sleep laboratory overnight, and most sleep labs are
located in hospitals, making it even more inconvenient. This device is
inexpensive, reliable, small and disposable."
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