PAP Device Pressure Visualization for Sleep Apnea Events
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for visualizing treatment data for sleep-disordered breathing, such as obstructive sleep apnea, often present incomplete or difficult-to-understand data, making it challenging for clinicians to diagnose and treat effectively, as they typically only report total delivered pressure without detailing pressure responses to specific sleep-related events.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for visualizing treatment data that includes initializing pressure settings, detecting sleep-related triggering events, and adjusting pressure accordingly, with a processor generating signals to provide pressurized gas and recording logic circuitry to log and visually depict pressures over time, allowing for a clear representation of base pressure and pressure responses to events like apnea, hypopnea, and snore.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional systems report only total delivered pressure, then the data presentation is simple, but the clinical utility is diminished and difficult to understand
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the total delivered pressure into distinct components: base pressure and pressure responses to specific triggering events (apnea, hypopnea, snore, etc.). This segmentation allows clinicians to see individual pressure responses to different events rather than a single aggregated value, directly addressing the information loss problem while maintaining manageable complexity through organized presentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to pressure data visualization by displaying pressure responses in chronological order with timestamps. This transforms static pressure values into dynamic temporal patterns, enabling clinicians to understand when pressure adjustments occurred in relation to specific events, thereby enhancing clinical utility without overwhelming complexity.
2Loss of information
If statistical reports are provided, then some data is presented, but the reports are difficult to understand and visualize
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates visual copies of pressure data in the form of graphs and charts that replicate the temporal and magnitude relationships of the underlying measurements. These visual representations serve as intuitive copies that are easier to interpret than raw statistical numbers, allowing clinicians to quickly grasp pressure patterns and their relationship to triggering events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs color coding to differentiate between various types of triggering events and their corresponding pressure responses. Different event types (apnea, hypopnea, snore) are represented with distinct colors or color intensities, enabling rapid visual classification and interpretation of multiple events without requiring detailed numerical analysis.
3Loss of information
If detailed pressure data is collected, then complete treatment information is available, but it is difficult or impossible to access and organize
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges pressure data with triggering event data into a unified visualization where each pressure response is directly associated with its corresponding event. This integration combines what would otherwise be separate data streams into a coherent narrative, making detailed information accessible without requiring separate organization systems for pressure and event data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces triggering events as intermediary markers that connect base pressure levels to pressure responses. These events serve as mediators that organize the temporal sequence of pressure changes, providing a natural framework for accessing and understanding detailed pressure data without requiring complex external organization systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for visualizing patient treatment data collected while a patient suffering from sleep-disordered breathing is treated are provided. For example, according to certain example embodiments, a PAP device for treating a patient suffering from sleep-disordered breathing is provided. A processor may be set or programmed to generate a signal indicative of a triggering event. A flow generator may be configured to provide a supply of pressurized breathable gas to the patient based at least in part on the signal. Recording programmed logic circuitry may be provided to record in a data log pressures provided during patient treatment and triggering events occurring during patient treatment. Visualizing programmed logic circuitry in communication with the PAP device may be configured to read the data log and generate a visual depiction of provided pressures over time. Triggering events may include, for example, one or more of apnea, hypopnea, flattening, snore, etc.