CPAP Blog

Loughborough Police announced this week they installed a Cell Occupant and Occupancy Monitoring System (COMS) into their refurbished cells. This monitoring system features radar equipment capable of detection breathing trouble such as experienced by someone choking on their vomit after a night out or by a sleep apnoea patient.

InLoughborough.com reports how the police custody suit was expanded and upgraded, including this fancy new system which allows one police officer to monitor up to four people instead of having assume a one on one position. Four new cells have been built each fitted with radar transmitters that can detect whether the person in the cell is breathing and sound an alarm if it detects a problem. Inspector Clive Thorpe, from the Criminal Justice Unit, said;

“The life signs monitoring system is projected to pay for itself within a year because it will save officer time and free up resources to be used elsewhere.”

Cosatt is the company behind the development of this system. You can read about the technology and principles here. Up to 40 cells can be monitored with one PC and it can be integrated with CCTV and other database systems. Each cell has to be treated to not leak microwaves so the detection system can work optimally. With the WiFi and mobile phone radiation controversy of recent years, I wonder how safe this is in itself. It’s a shame they don’t have specific information on how breathing cessation is detected.

The Leicestershire Constabulary has more information on their website here.

You can land yourself a hi-tech overnight stay from Monday onwards so if you’re curious, you know what to do where… 

Next in line for our weekly look at who’s who in CPAP land: ProBasics. PMI is the company, ProBasics their umbrella name for their health care range of products. The ProBasics range includes wheelchairs and oxygen regulators and since recently also CPAP.

The ProBasics Zzz-PAP with optional integrated heated humidifier quickly took the US market by storm, in particular for its revolutionary small size. Excellently suited a second machine for travel, ProBasics entered the market with their Zzz-PAP and really pushed the envelope in terms of meeting consumer demand.

More info on PMI via first link above.

Just when we discussed how effective respiratory flow sensors are in detecting apnea events, along comes a new method using thermal imaging. An infra-red camera is placed near the bed and records airflow via thermal imaging (it ’sees’ the heat produced by exhalations) to determine breathing interruptions.

Initial tests confirm this method’s accuracy and the fact that it’s a non-contact way of apnea event detection, this solution could be a break through in screening and diagnosis. A no-wires approach means your sleep lab visit isn’t hampered by getting tangled or wearing recording devices.

More info:

• Chest Journal: Remote Infrared Imaging
• Daily Mail: Bedside camera that tells if you are snoring
• (Similar Research) European Respiratory Journal: Temperature Difference between sleep apnea patients, snorers and non-snorers