LIFELEAF™ Detects Sleep Apnea Non-Invasively and in Real-Time, Leading to Early Treatment and Better Health

Discover how LIFELEAF is used to uncover sleep apnea. With proper medical treatment, the LIFELEAF user is waking up refreshed and energized. He continues to use the LIFELEAF solution to help manage his health so he can lead an active life.

SUMMARY

Sam noticed that he is consistently feeling quite tired and unrefreshed when waking up in the mornings even after an adequate duration of sleep overnight. He started wearing the LIFELEAF Smartwatch by LifePlus at bedtime to monitor his blood oxygen and sleep patterns. Sure enough, he got alerted by the LIFELEAF solution of disrupted sleep. He shared the data gathered with his primary care physician and received treatment for sleep apnea. Sam is waking up refreshed and energized now. He continues to use the LifeLeaf solution to help manage his health so he can lead an active life.

THE CHALLENGE

Sam is a 37 year-old single gentleman without any medical problems except for being mildly overweight. Sam is uncertain as to why he is feeling so tired, feeling sleepy during the day and gets frequent headaches despite adequate sleep. He recalls friends and family telling him in the past that he snores, but never thought much of it. Sam decided to use the LIFELEAF solution to gather more information about his health to be shared with his primary care physician. Sam starts wearing the LIFELEAF Smartwatch. As expected, he gets alerted by the watch that his blood oxygen levels appear to transiently drop at multiple points throughout the night. The watch also indicates that he may be experiencing disruption of his sleep during those times. Sam shares the above information with his primary care physician. A formal sleep study is ordered, which confirms the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Sam is treated with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device that he wears to bed. The CPAP device provides pressure through a mask which helps keep Sam’s airways open while he is sleeping.

RESULTS

With treatment using CPAP, Sam now has uninterrupted sleep. He wakes up feeling refreshed. He no longer complains of being tired after waking up in the morning or having headaches.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) results from airway obstruction during sleep by soft tissues of the mouth and throat, which may result in drop in blood oxygenation saturations and sleep disruptions resulting in poor sleep. Other effects include snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, headaches, depressed mood, lack of energy, and difficulty focusing. OSA can also be associated with cardiovascular disease including high blood pressure, heart failure, and stroke, particularly when left untreated. Unfortunately, while it is estimated that 1 in 5 adults in the US suffers from OSA, only 10% of them are diagnosed.

THE LIFELEAF SOLUTION

The LIFELEAF solution by LifePlus revolutionizes the wearable health device market. For the first time, individuals living with one or more chronic diseases can:

  • Manage their illnesses by tracking their vital health parameters completely non-invasively and in real-time
  • Use actionable alerts to take preventive actions to avoid emergency situations and improve overall health in the long run
  • Share their health information with their families and healthcare providers (e.g. doctors, clinics) securely, and in real-time
  • Patients can have the comfort of knowing their chronic illness is always being managed, leading to better health and richer quality of life.

TECHNOLOGY

LIFELEAF introduces the third generation of wearable medical technology that consists of three major components:

  • A patent pending Smartwatch that utilizes optical sensor technology to continuously and non-invasively extract vital health indicators and hosts a set of novel vital parameter extraction algorithms. They leverage the latest advances of digital signal processing and machine learning to continuously adapt to each individual’s health based on a holistic approach and generate personalized actionable alerts in real-time,
  • An interactive, easy-to-use Mobile Application sends and receives data and alerts to and from the cloud. Users can view the data with a friendly user interface in real-time, and
  • A cloud-based AI Analytics Platform where individualized information is stored in the cloud, perform deep learning on extremely large-scale data sets, and provide actionable insights at an individualized level.

BENEFITS OF USING LIFELEAF

  • More robust self-care management for major chronic illnesses, including cardiac arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnea.
  • Enables treatments that are more predictive, preventive and precise.
  • Open architecture ensures easy integration with existing digital health systems.

ABOUT LIFEPLUS

LifePlus revolutionizes how people manage their daily health risks and chronic diseases. Our LIFELEAF solution provides continuous noninvasive monitoring, generates actionable alerts and insights to improve quality of life, and ensures secure information sharing with loved ones and healthcare community.