Sensory system for the sleep disorders detection in the geriatric population

Abstract

This paper introduces the proposal of a remote sensory system for the detection of sleep disorders in geriatric outpatients. Although the most accurate solution would be an in-depth study in a sleep clinic, it is not a realistic environment for the elderly. The objective is that the patient stays at home, and without changing their daily routines, the clinicians get objective information in order to make a correct diagnosis of the sleep disorders. As a first step towards achieving a home remote monitory system, this work introduces a Body Sensor Network (BSN) to monitor various vital signals as Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Electromyogram (EMG) in order to collect enough information for sleep disorder diagnosis, focusing on the detection of obstructive sleep apnea. This work proposes an algorithm to infer obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) based on power spectral analysis of ECG signals from a single-lead electrocardiogram, demonstrating the feasibility of BSN to detect OSA with around 85% sensitivity.