The Research project focuses on the identification and counting of apnea episodes through the audio recording of patients during sleep.
Obstructive apnea syndrome (OSA) is a frequent pathology with increased prevalence especially in male adults (1 over 25) and a strong relation to chronic conditions such as obesity and smoking.
According to relevant epidemiology studies, only 15% of the patient population suffering from apnea is aware of this syndrome’s presence.
The repeated episodes of upper airway obstruction lead to a reduction or even complete cessation of breathing; therefore, to intermittent sleep, strong feeling of drowsiness and fatigue on a daily basis and they are considered responsible for serious complications, such as heart diseases and increased daily reported vehicle or work accidents.
The present project is carried out in collaboration with Sismanogleio Hospital Sleep Study Unit, in the framework of the action “Research, Create, Innovate (Cycle B)” of the Ministry of Development & Investments.
It aims at an extensive collection of audio recordings from patients undergoing a complete sleep study in the hospital.
Signal processing of the received recordings, in combination with the diagnosis by the medical team of the hospital, aims at the development of algorithms for automatic detection of apnea syndrome through audio recordings only and with the use of reliable techniques of deep learning and neural networks.
This project is expected to provide the richest so far annotated and high resolution audio database on sleep apnea recordings and a fully validated mobile app for home assessment of the apnea syndrome.
Thus, patients will be able to estimate the extent of the condition at home and be referred for further complex and tedious diagnostic tests only if necessary.
This study is expected to actively raise awareness and inform the population about the symptoms and consequences of sleep apnea syndrome, increasing the percentage of people receiving treatment and cure.
Project Τitle: APNOIA: Automatic Pre-Hospital, In-Home, Sleep Apnea Examination
Project Duration: 17 October 2018 – 16 October 2021
Project URL: http://apnoia-project.gr/
Project Framework & Funding: Greek National Operational Program “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation – RESEARCH-CREATE-INNOVATE
Funding: 271.245,26 €
Scientific coordinator (UNIWA): Dr Stylianos Potirakis (Professor), Email: spoti@uniwa.gr, Tel: +30-2105381550
Consortium – Partners:
