TREATING SLEEP APNEA WITH NEGATIVE PRESSURE AND OBTAINING, WITH A SLEEP-APNEA DEVICE, INFORMATION RELATED TO SLEEP-APNEA EVENTS AND SLEEP-APNEA TREATMENT, AND CORRELATING SLEEP APNEA EVENTS AND SLEEP-APNEA TREATMENT WITH SUBJECT LIFESTYLE AND WELLBEING

• Main Authors: SMITH, Michael A, CALDEIRA, Kenneth G, RIVET, Dennis J, SHARADIN, Katherine, WOOD, Lowell L., Jr, MCKNIGHT, Gary L, HYDE, Roderick A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 20.11.2019
• Subjects: ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSESOR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY; DIAGNOSIS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; MASSAGE; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING ORSTIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; SURGERY

An embodiment of a system for treating sleep apnea includes a collar, a pump, a motor, a sensor, a memory mechanism, and a controller. The collar is configured to maintain an airway of a subject open while the subject is sleeping by applying, to a throat of the subject, a negative pressure having a magnitude, and the pump is configured to generate the negative pressure. The motor is configured to drive the pump, and the sensor is configured to generate a sense signal that is related to a degree to which the airway is open. And the controller is configured to vary the magnitude of the negative pressure in response to the sense signal. Furthermore, the controller can obtain and store, in the memory, information related to usage and settings of the sleep apnea system, and the controller, or another computing system, can correlate this information with the subject's wellbeing, and can recommend changes in the usage or the settings of the sleep-apnea system that can improve the subject's wellbeing.