Method of analyzing sleep disorders

• US 5,671,733 A
• Filed: 04/21/1994
• Issued: 09/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SNAP Diagnostics, LLC
• Original Assignee: SNAP Laboratories, LLC
• Inventors: Raviv, Gil, Weingarten, Charles Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lacyk, John P.
• Application Number:
  US08/231,025
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 128/630, 128/715-716, 128/773-4, 128/848, 128/670-1
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/003 Detecting lung or respiration noise

Abstract

The invention provides a method of detecting, analyzing sleep disorders. The method includes the step of monitoring sound produced by a sleeping subject through a sensor proximate the sleeping subject and continuously recording the monitored sound. The method further includes identifying snoring within the recorded sound and analyzing the identified snoring to localize upper airway structural sources of snoring.

Claims

1. A method of detecting and analyzing sleep disorders comprising the steps of:

monitoring sound produced by a sleeping subject through a sensor proximate the sleeping subject;

continuously recording the monitored sound;

identifying snoring within the recorded sound;

analyzing the identified snoring to locate upper airway structural sources generating the snoring; and

identifying a soft palate of the sleeping subject as the source of the snoring and as a velum snore when the snoring is substantially of a fundamental frequency between a lower and upper threshold and harmonics of the fundamental frequency.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the step of analyzing the monitored sound for respiratory system structural sources of snoring further comprising the step of identifying a set of tonsils or other non-velum sources of the sleeping subject as the source of the snoring, and as a non-velum snore, when the snoring is substantially of a fundamental frequency greater than an upper threshold and harmonics of the fundamental frequency.

3. The method as in claim 2 wherein the step of analyzing the monitored sound for respiratory system structural sources of snoring further comprises the step of identifying one of a pharyngal and nose as the source of snoring, and as a non-velum snore, when a fourier transform of the recorded sound indicates a diffused sound source, and otherwise a mixed snore when the snoring contains an indicia of multiple sources.

4. The method as in claim 2 further comprising the step of selecting intervals of data from the raw data file and displaying the selected interval under an expanded format on a computer monitor.

5. The method as in claim 2 further comprising the step of graphically outputting a distribution of snoring classifications.

6. The method as in claim 2 further comprising the step of simulating an effect of surgery by reproducing the recorded sound without fundamental frequencies and harmonics of the fundamental frequencies.

7. The method as in claim 1 further comprising the step of determining a relative sound contribution of fundamental frequencies and harmonics.

8. A method of detecting and analyzing sleep disorders comprising the steps of:

monitoring sound produced by a sleeping subject through a sensor proximate the sleeping subject;

continuously recording the monitored sound;

identifying snoring within the recorded sound;

analyzing the identified snoring to locate upper airway structural sources generating the snoring;

evaluating the recorded sound using frequency domain methods; and

using a plurality of temporal sizes of data for frequency analyzing the snoring.

9. A method of detecting and analyzing sleep disorders comprising the steps of:

monitoring sound produced by a sleeping subject through a sensor proximate the sleeping subject;

continuously recording the monitored sound;

identifying snoring within the recorded sound;

analyzing the identified snoring to locate upper airway structural sources generating the snoring;

generating a raw data file and a reduced file; and

tabulating and outputting a number indicating total velum, non-velum, and mixed snore during a time interval.

10. The method as in claim 9 further including the step of calculating a velum snore index from the total velum, non-velum, and mixed snore during a time interval.

11. The method as in claim 9 further comprising the step of projecting a likelihood of success of uvulopalatopharnygoplasty based upon at least one of the calculated total velum, non-velum, and mixed snore per time period, and/or the velum snore index.

12. The method as in claim 9 further comprising the step of displaying a raw data file or a reduced data file of the recorded sound on a computer monitor.

13. The method as in claim 12 further comprising the step of marking displayed raw data and frequency domain transforming the marked raw data into a second display window.

14. The method as in claim 12 further comprising the step of marking displayed data and outputting the data to an audio speaker for verification of the event as one of breathing, apnea, hypopnea and snoring.

15. The method as in claim 12 further comprising the step of deleting markers of selected data intervals.

16. The method as in claim 12 further comprising the step of manually identifying the structural source of the snoring of the classified data intervals.

17. The method as in claim 16 further comprising the step of reducing the digitized monitored sound and storing the reduced data file in conjunction with selected portions of the digitized monitored sound.

18. The method as in claim 9 further comprising the step of manually classifying data intervals as one of breathing, apnea, hypopnea, and snoring.

19. The method as in claim 9 further comprising the step of randomly accessing the raw data file and scrolling one of the raw data and data envelope in either a forward or backwards direction on a computer monitor.

20. The method as in claim 9 further comprising the step of randomly accessing the reduced data file and one of expanding and scrolling and, upon occasion, reproducing a corresponding portion of the raw data file in either identical interval size or expanded interval size and scrolling in either a forward or reverse direction on a computer monitor.

21. A method of detecting and analyzing sleep disorders comprising the steps of:

monitoring sound produced by a sleeping subject through a sensor proximate the sleeping subject;

continuously recording the monitored sound;

identifying snoring within the recorded sound;

analyzing the identified snoring to locate upper airway structural sources generating the snoring; and

comparing the monitored sound with a first recording threshold level and deactivating the recorder when the monitored sound exceeds the first threshold levels for at least a first time period and otherwise reactivating recording when the monitored sound does not exceed the threshold for a second time period.

22. The method as in claim 21 further comprising the step of comparing the monitored sound with a second threshold and reactivating the recorder when the monitored sound exceeds the first and second thresholds for a third time period and deactivating the recorder when the monitored sound exceeds the first threshold but not the second for a fourth time period.

23. A method of detecting snoring comprising the steps of:

monitoring sound produced by a sleeping subject through a sensor proximate the sleeping subject;

recording the monitored sound;

visually observing a sound signal of the recorded sound on a display;

selecting a section of the displayed recorded sound; and

outputting the selected section through an audio transducer.

24. A method of detecting apnea comprising the steps of:

monitoring sound produced by a sleeping subject through a sensor proximate the sleeping subject;

recording the monitored sound;

visually observing a sound signal of the recorded sound on a display;

selecting a section of the recorded sound; and

outputting the selected section through an audio transducer.

25. A method of detecting and analyzing sleep disorders comprising the steps of:

monitoring sound produced by a sleeping subject through a sensor proximate the sleeping subject;

continuously recording the monitored sound;

identifying snoring within the recorded sound;

analyzing the identified snoring to locate upper airway structural sources generating the snoring; and

identifying a soft palate of the sleeping subject as the source of the snoring, as a velum snore, when the snoring is substantially of a fundamental frequency below a threshold and harmonics of the fundamental frequency.