A new app from the University of Washington promises to make diagnosing sleep apnea a painless, at-home procedure. Aptly named, the ApneaApp turns any android phone into "an active sonar system that tracks tiny changes in a person's breathing movements." So says the UW's press release.
In a recent clinical trail at Harborview Medical Center, the app correctly diagnosed 32 out of 37 patients undergoing apnea studies. The UW research team is looking to conduct more trials and eventually FDA score approval for the app. Which would greatly reduce the cost of diagnosis which, at the moment, involves a pricey overnight stay in the hospital.
