ApnoLight

The earliest indicator of patient deterioration is a change in respiratory rate, yet it's a parameter that is rarely continuously monitored outside ICU or operating theaters. The current standard-of-care for respiratory monitoring relies upon physical examination and observation by skilled nursing staff. Due to the intermittency of this method, apnoea may go undetected until the patient becomes hypoxic (oxygen saturations

The ApnoLight provides a low-cost, disposable, respiratory monitor for when it is not possible to use expensive capnography. The ApnoLight can be immediately used with current standard oxygen masks, requires less than 15 seconds of training on its use, and can be used during patient transport. Our solution provides a breath-by-breath indication to the medical staff and alarms after 10 seconds of apnoea which is minutes before a pulse oximeter alarm would trigger or hypoxia is recognized clinically.

It is estimated that 6.5% of post-operative patients require ICU transfer and management, with an average cost of $32k to $43k USD per stay. Studies have shown that by implementing continuous respiratory monitoring, the number of subsequent ICU transfers can be reduced by 34%. ApnoLight will allow easy visual recognition of respiratory rate and detection of apnoea enabling early management of the patient before hypoxia occurs. Since the ApnoLight is portable and low cost, it also has the potential to have a significant impact in developing healthcare systems where expensive capnography is simply not available.

Due to COVID-19 and the immediate need for safer methods of determining a patient's respiratory state, we have developed a low-cost, disposable, respiratory monitor. We have completed a feasibility study with 25 highly trained recovery nurses comparing the ApnoLight to standard observations. The ApnoLight improved respiratory rate accuracy by 87% and enabled accurate apnoea detection from 5 meters away from the bedside. With ApnoLight, medical staff would be able to safely monitor COVID-19 patients from outside of the patients room, reducing the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) consumption, increasing patient safety, and reducing hospital costs due to reduced ICU transfers.