Value-based sleep and breathing: health economic aspects of obstructive sleep apnea

Rostral fluid shifts and other mechanisms of interaction between obstructive sleep apnea and heart failure - a systematic review

<b>Introduction:</b> Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by episodes of total or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep. Untreated OSA leads to various cardiovascular complications, including heart failure (HF), both involving complex and detrimental pathophysiological processes.<b>Aim:</b> The aim of this study is to describe the role of rostral fluid shifts and other mechanisms responsible for the co-existence of OSA and HF, providing insight into potential diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.<b>Materials and methods:</b> Two authors independently searched the literature and assessed articles following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analytics) guidelines.<b>Results:</b> Rostral fluid shifts, characterized by nocturnal redistribution from the lower limbs to the neck tissues, exacerbate upper airway obstruction by increasing neck circumference and predisposing individuals to respiratory events. This phenomenon is particularly significant in patients with HF due to impaired cardiovascular function leading to fluid retention. The repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep triggers abrupt changes in intrathoracic pressure negatively impacting cardiac tissue remodeling by promoting inflammation and fibrosis. Moreover, sleep fragmentation and arousals activate the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), imposing additional strain on the cardiovascular system. Accumulated data suggest that rostral fluid shifts are a clinically significant pathomechanism in the coexistence of OSA and HF. Therapeutic strategies, including the benefits of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy and lifestyle modifications, have been discussed. This systematic review highlights the need for integrated treatment approaches to manage both OSA and HF effectively.<b>Conclusions:</b> Understanding and addressing these interconnected mechanisms is essential to offer an integrated diagnostic and therapeutic management of patients, highlighting the importance of multidisciplinary care to optimize patient health and quality of life.

An Objective Study to Establish Incidence of True Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) in Sleep Disordered Breathing in the Paediatric Age Group and Assessment of Benefit of Surgery (Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy) in Non Responders to Medical Treatment in Mild OSA

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is identified by instances of either full or partial collapse of the airway during sleep, leading to reduced oxygen levels or awakening from sleep. This disruption causes interrupted and insufficient sleep, impacting cardiovascular well-being, mental health, and overall quality of life. Pediatric OSA is more challenging to diagnose and a single apnoea is considered to be significant in this age group. A hospital based prospective study with 100 children between the ages of 4 and 12 years with sleep disordered breathing. Evaluated for the severity of obstructive sleep apnea and also assessed if surgery was beneficial to treat OSA in mild cases. General physical examination, evaluation of facial/oral features were conducted to rule out adenoid facies. Additionally, ENT examination was conducted. Medical history and lateral neck radiographs were reviewed, and the paediatric sleep questionnaire was administered to evaluate neurobehavioral morbidities associated with OSA. These children were evaluated for sleep disorders by conducting the polysomnography. Pediatric sleep questionnaire was also administered. The scoring and results analysis were conducted according to standardised guidelines provided by the American association for sleep medicine. Furthermore, medical management protocols were outlined, including a 6-week course of intranasal steroids and leukotriene receptor antagonist therapy, with consideration of adenotonsillectomy for patients failing medical therapy. In our study on paediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), medical treatment significantly reduced clinical symptom scores in cases of mild OSA, as evidenced by pre- and post-parental sleep questionnaire scores of 23.62 ± 8.24 and 13.55 ± 6.05, respectively (paired samples test, P = 0.00). Similarly, both the pre- and post-Apnoea/Hypopnoea Index (AHI) scores (2.278 ± 1.5658 and 1.19 ± 1.420) and central sleep apnea index scores (1.252 ± 0.8972 and 0.61 ± 0.815) significantly improved post-treatment (paired samples test, P = 0.03, respectively). Additionally, significant changes were observed in tonsillar grade after the 12-week medication course, and sleep architecture showed notable improvement during the repeat follow-up study. These findings highlight the efficacy of treatment interventions in alleviating symptoms and enhancing sleep efficiency in paediatric OSA. The findings of this study underscore the efficacy of a medical management using intranasal corticosteroids and oral montelukast in mitigating the severity of mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children. This research substantiates the therapeutic value of corticosteroids and oral montelukast in paediatric patients with mild OSA, offering compelling evidence for their use as beneficial interventions in this population.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12070-024-04813-6.

A Deep Learning Method for Human Sleeping Pose Estimation with Millimeter Wave Radar

Recognizing sleep posture is crucial for the monitoring of people with sleeping disorders. Existing contact-based systems might interfere with sleeping, while camera-based systems may raise privacy concerns. In contrast, radar-based sensors offer a promising solution with high penetration ability and the capability to detect vital bio-signals. This study propose a deep learning method for human sleep pose recognition from signals acquired from single-antenna Frequency-Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar device. To capture both frequency features and sequential features, we introduce ResTCN, an effective architecture combining Residual blocks and Temporal Convolution Network (TCN) to recognize different sleeping postures, from augmented statistical motion features of the radar time series. We rigorously evaluated our method with an experimentally acquired data set which contains sleeping radar sequences from 16 volunteers. We report a classification accuracy of 82.74% on average, which outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

Evaluation of an OSA Risk Screening Smartphone App in a General, Non-Symptomatic Population Sample (ESOSA)

Background: Obstructive Sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent sleep disorder, risk factor for cardiovascular disease and imposes a substantial global socioeconomic and health burden. OSA is insufficiently diagnosed as it often presents with unspecific or no symptoms. This study compares the effectiveness of a smartphone-based screening method to polysomnography (PSG) in a general, non-symptomatic population sample. Methods: Adult subjects were recruited from the general population. Subjects reporting OSA-related symptoms suggesting an increased OSA risk were excluded. Included subjects underwent Type-II PSG and a parallel breathing sound analysis using the Snorefox M smartphone app. The PSG scores were compared with the results of the Snorefox M app for its ability to detect moderate to severe OSA (AHI ≥ 15). Results: 150 subjects were included. All subjects completed the diagnostic night, no adverse events occurred. A valid analysis result was obtained for 142 subjects. A total of 24% of subjects had moderate to severe OSA based on the PSG results. The Snorefox M software app showed a sensitivity of 0.91 (0.76, 0.98), specificity of 0.83, PPV of 0.63 (0.48, 0.77), and NPV of 0.97 (0.91, 0.99) to detect AHI ≥ 15 compared with the reference PSG (95% CI). Conclusions: This study compares for the first time, the performance of an app-based OSA screening tool with PSG in a non-symptomatic population sample. Easily accessible screening tools can play a role in complementing existing diagnostic possibilities, helping to increase the diagnosis rate, with a positive effect on cardiovascular health in a relevant population share.

A Pilot Randomized Trial of Combined Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Exercise Training Versus Exercise Training Alone for the Management of Chronic Insomnia in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Insomnia treatment among individuals with comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea is suboptimal. In a pilot randomized controlled trial, 19 individuals with comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea were allocated to one of two arms: EX + EX, consisting of two 8-week phases of exercise training (EX), or RE + CBTiEX, encompassing 8 weeks of relaxation training (RE) followed by 8 weeks of combined cognitive-behavioral therapy and exercise (CBTiEX). Outcomes included Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), polysomnography, and cardiorespiratory fitness measures. A mixed-model analysis of variance revealed a Group × Time interaction on peak oxygen consumption change, F(1, 14) = 10.1, p = .007, and EX increased peak oxygen consumption (p = .03, g' = -0.41) and reduced ISI (p = .001, g' = 0.82) compared with RE (p = .49, g = 0.16) post-8 weeks. Post-16 weeks, there was a significant Group × Time interaction (p = .014) driven by RE + CBTiEX yielding a larger improvement in ISI (p = .023, g' = 1.48) than EX + EX (p = .88, g' < 0.1). Objective sleep was unchanged. This study showed promising effects of regular EX alone and combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia on ISI in comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea.

Economic evaluation of telemonitoring as a follow-up approach for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome starting treatment with continuous positive airway pressure

Telemonitoring of obstructive sleep apnea patients is increasingly being adopted though its cost-effectiveness evidence base is scanty. This study investigated whether telemonitoring is a cost-effective strategy compared with the standard follow-up in patients with obstructive sleep apnea who are starting continuous positive airway pressure treatment. In total, 167 obstructive sleep apnea patients were randomised into telemonitoring (n = 79) or standard follow-up (n = 88), initiated continuous positive airway pressure treatment, and were followed up for 6 months. The frequencies of healthcare contacts, related costs (in USD 2021 prices), treatment effect and compliance were compared between the follow-up approaches using generalised linear models. The cost effectiveness analysis was conducted from a healthcare perspective and the results presented as cost per avoided extra clinic visit. Additionally, patient satisfaction between the two approaches was explored. The analysis showed no baseline differences. At follow-up, there was no significant difference in treatment compliance, and the mean residual apnea-hypoapnea index. There was no difference in total visits, adjusted incidence rate ratio 0.87 (0.72-1.06). Participants in the telemonitoring arm made eight times more telephone visits, 8.10 (5.04-13.84), and about 73% fewer physical healthcare visits 0.27 (0.20-0.36). This translated into significantly lower total costs for the telemonitoring approach compared with standard follow-up, -192 USD (-346 to -41). The form of follow-up seemed to have no impact on the extent of patient satisfaction. These results demonstrate the telemonitoring of patients with obstructive sleep apnea initiating continuous positive airway pressure treatment as a cost saving strategy and can be argued as a potential worthy investment.

The OSA patient journey: pathways for diagnosis and treatment among commercially insured individuals in the United States

STUDY OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to characterize obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) care pathways among commercially insured individuals in the United States and to investigate between-groups differences in population, care delivery, and economic aspects.

METHODS

We identified adults with OSA using a large, national administrative claims database (January 1, 2016-February 28, 2020). Inclusion criteria included a diagnostic sleep test on or within ≤ 12 months of OSA diagnosis (index date) and 12 months of continuous enrollment before and after the index date. Exclusion criteria included prior OSA treatment or central sleep apnea. OSA care pathways were identified using sleep testing health care procedural health care common procedure coding system/current procedural terminology codes then selected for analysis if they were experienced by ≥ 3% of the population and assessed for baseline demographic/clinical characteristics that were also used for model adjustment. Primary outcome was positive airway pressure initiation rate; secondary outcomes were time from first sleep test to initiation of positive airway pressure, sleep test costs, and health care resource utilization. Associations between pathway type and time to treatment initiation were assessed using generalized linear models.

RESULTS

Of 86,827 adults with OSA, 92.1% received care in 1 of 5 care pathways that met criteria: home sleep apnea testing (HSAT; 30.8%), polysomnography (PSG; 23.6%), PSG-Titration (19.8%), Split-night (14.8%), and HSAT-Titration (3.2%). Pathways had significantly different demographic and clinical characteristics. HSAT-Titration had the highest positive airway pressure initiation rate (84.6%) and PSG the lowest (34.4%). After adjustments, time to treatment initiation was significantly associated with pathway (P < .0001); Split-night had shortest duration (median, 28 days), followed by HSAT (36), PSG (37), PSG-Titration (58), and HSAT-Titration (75). HSAT had the lowest sleep test costs and health care resource utilization.

CONCLUSIONS

Distinct OSA care pathways exist and are associated with differences in population, care delivery, and economic aspects.

CITATION

Wickwire EM, Zhang X, Munson SH, et al. The OSA patient journey: pathways for diagnosis and treatment among commercially insured individuals in the United States. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(4):505-514.

Relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and pulmonary hypertension: past, present and future

INTRODUCTION

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a widely prevalent condition with consequent multiple organ systems complications. There is consensus that OSA is associated with negative effects on pulmonary hemodynamics but whether it contributes to development of clinical pulmonary hypertension (PH) is unclear.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, we (1) highlight previous studies looking into the possible bidirectional association of OSA and PH, focusing on those that explore clinical prognostic implications, (2) explore potential pathophysiology, (3) discuss the new metrics in OSA, (4) describe endo-phenotyping of OSA, (5) recommend possible risk assessment and screening pathways.

EXPERT OPINION

Relying only on symptoms to consider a sleep study in PH patients is a missed opportunity to detect OSA, which, if present and not treated, can worsen outcomes. The potential prognostic role of sleep study metrics such as oxygen desaturation index (ODI), hypoxic burden (HB) and ventilatory burden (VB) in OSA should be studied in prospective trials to identify patients at risk for PH. AHI alone has not provided clarity. In those with PH, we should consider replacing ambulatory overnight pulse oximetry (OPO) with home sleep studies (HST). In PH patients, mild OSA should be sufficient to consider PAP therapy.

Obstructive sleep apnea remains a risk factor for major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events even in hypertensive patients under treatment: the Urumqi Research on Sleep Apnea and Hypertension (UROSAH) data

Background

The impact of the co-occurrence of hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the risk of long-term cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes has not been extensively studied in the Asian population, and the residual effect of OSA on CVD in patients under antihypertensive treatment is not clear. The study aimed to explore the impact of OSA on the risk of CVD outcomes in a large-scale Asian cohort under antihypertensive treatment using retrospective design.

Methods

Hypertensive patients who underwent polysomnography (PSG) test from January 2011 to December 2013 were recruited from the Urumqi Research on Sleep Apnea and Hypertension (UROSAH) cohort, which was conducted in Hypertension Center of People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. OSA was defined as apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5. Outcomes were extended major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), including the first occurrence of nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, revascularization, rehospitalization due to unstable angina or heart failure and all-cause death. Cox regression analysis was performed to explore the effect of OSA and hypertension coexistence on MACCE.

Results

A total of 3,329 hypertension patients were enrolled, of whom 2,585 patients (about 77.7%) suffered from OSA. During a median follow-up period of 7.0 years, 415 patients developed extended MACCE. The incidence of extended MACCE was significantly greater in patients with OSA than those without OSA [hazard ratio (HR): 1.59; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.27-1.99; P<0.001]. Overall, patients with OSA had an increased risk of cardiac events of 57% compared to those without OSA (HR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.04-2.39, P=0.034) and the association did not change in further sensitivity analysis. Particularly in uncontrolled hypertension, OSA was found to have a 93% increased risk of cardiac events, compared with patients without OSA (P=0.036).

Conclusions

Untreated OSA seemed to be a factor affecting the prognosis of cardiac events in hypertensive patients, although the association between OSA and cardiac events would be attenuated by the pharmacological-induced blood pressure control, which highlights the need to treat OSA.

Prevalence of Sleep Disturbances in Latin American Populations and Its Association with Their Socioeconomic Status-A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The worldwide increase in the prevalence and incidence of sleep disturbances represents a major public health issue. Among multiple determinants affecting sleep health, an individual's socioeconomic status (SES) is the most ignored and underestimated throughout the literature. No systematic review on the relation between SES and sleep health has been previously conducted in Latin America.

METHODS

PRISMA guidelines were used.

RESULTS

Twenty articles were included in the final sample (all cross-sectional studies), and twelve among them were rated as fair or poor quality. Among these studies, 80.0% (n = 16) were performed in Brazil, 10.0% (n = 2) were performed in Peru, 5.0% (n = 1) were performed in Chile, and 5.0% (n = 1) were multicentric (11 countries). The combined total number of participants was N = 128.455, comprising 3.7% (n = 4693) children, 16.0% (n = 20,586) adolescents, and 80.3% (n = 103,176) adults. The results show the following: (1) The sleep outcomes analyzed were sleep duration, sleep quality/sleep disturbance, insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)/sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) symptoms, and bruxism. (2) The most used determinants were income, education level, employment status/occupation, wealth/assets, and composite indices. (3) Higher SES was associated with shorter sleep duration. (4) Lower SES was associated with a decrease in sleep quality, less frequent snoring, more prevalent EDS, and sleep bruxism. (5) Lower education was associated with insomnia. (6) Higher education was associated with more sleep bruxism. (7) The pooled prevalence using a meta-analysis of the random effects model was 24.73% (95%CI, 19.98-30.19), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 100%). (8) The prevalence of sleep disturbances decreased with high education (OR, 0.83; 95%CI, [0.69-0.99]; I2 = 79%), while it increased with low income (OR, 1.26; 95%CI, [1.12-1.42]; I2 = 59%), unemployment (OR, 2.84; 95%CI, [2.14-3.76]; I2 = 0%), and being a housewife (OR, 1.72; 95%CI, [1.19-2.48]; I2 = 55%).

DISCUSSION

This meta-analysis shows that lower SES (education, income, and work) was associated with sleep disturbances in Latin America. Therefore, sleep disturbance management should be addressed with a multidimensional approach, and a significant investment in targeted public health programs to reduce sleep disparities and support research should be made by the government before the situation becomes uncontrollable.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in Indian adults

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder associated with considerable morbidity. However, there is an underrepresentation of data from India and other developing countries in global reviews of OSA prevalence. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the prevalence of OSA in India. The MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched for articles that reported the prevalence of OSA in the general Indian adult population using sleep studies. Eight studies were included comprising 11,009 subjects with mean age ranging from 35.5 to 47.8 years. On the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist for prevalence studies, the study quality ranged from 3/9 to 9/9. Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model. The pooled prevalence of OSA (AHI ≥5 events/hour) was 11% overall (95% CI: 7%-15%; I2 = 98.0%, p<0.001), 13% in males (95% CI: 7%-18%; I2 = 96.0%, p<0.001), and 5% in females (95% CI: 3%-7%; I2 = 73.3%, p = 0.01). The pooled prevalence of moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI ≥15 events/hour) was 5% (95% CI: 2%-8%, I2 = 95.3%; p = 0.01). Based on these findings, approximately 104 million Indians of working age suffer from OSA, of whom 47 million have moderate-to-severe OSA. This represents a major public health problem in India with important implications for the global burden of the disease.

Pharmacological management of co-morbid obstructive sleep apnoea and insomnia

INTRODUCTION

Clinical presentation of both insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (COMISA) is common. Approximately 30% of clinical cohorts with OSA have insomnia symptoms and vice versa. The underlying pathophysiology of COMISA is multifactorial. This poses a complex clinical challenge. Currently, there are no clinical guidelines or recommendations outside of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi). Clinically translatable precision medicine approaches to characterize individual causes or endotypes may help optimize future pharmacological management of COMISA.

AREAS COVERED

This review article provides an up-to-date account of COMISA and its consequences, the underlying pathophysiology of sleep apnea, insomnia and COMISA, current treatment approaches and limitations, pharmacotherapy targets and future priorities.

EXPERT OPINION

There are multiple promising emerging therapies, but clinical trial data specifically in COMISA populations are lacking. This is a priority for future investigation to inform development of evidence-based guidelines. Pharmacotherapies, particularly for insomnia, do not target the underlying causes of the disorder thus, are indicated for short-term use only and should remain second line. Future multidisciplinary research should be directed toward the multifactorial nature of COMISA and the challenges of adapting COMISA treatment in clinical practice and overcoming the practical barriers that health-care providers and consumers encounter.

Examining changes in knowledge and practice in nurse practitioners after an online educational module on obstructive sleep apnea

AIMS

The purpose of this study is to investigate primary care nurse practitioner (NP) knowledge and knowledge retention on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) screening after an educational in-service.

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of OSA is high and continues to rise amid the obesity epidemic. Approximately 75-90 % of individuals with moderate to severe OSA remain undiagnosed. Continuing education of OSA risk factors among primary care providers may increase screening rates, leading to early diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

An educational module was presented to NPs (n = 30) during a mandatory NP in-service at two sets of outpatient clinics. Knowledge was assessed with a pre-test and post-test survey consisting of 23 items. A 25-item follow-up test was administered five weeks after to assess knowledge retention.

RESULTS

An increase in total knowledge scores was demonstrated between the pre-test and post-test with a decrease in knowledge observed at follow-up. Follow-up test total mean scores remained above pre-test levels, indicating potential long-term learning.

CONCLUSIONS

While learning was demonstrated, NPs acknowledged continued barriers to screening for OSA such as time and having no OSA screening tool available in the electronic medical record (EMR).

Vision Transformers (ViT) for Blanket-Penetrating Sleep Posture Recognition Using a Triple Ultra-Wideband (UWB) Radar System

Sleep posture has a crucial impact on the incidence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Therefore, the surveillance and recognition of sleep postures could facilitate the assessment of OSA. The existing contact-based systems might interfere with sleeping, while camera-based systems introduce privacy concerns. Radar-based systems might overcome these challenges, especially when individuals are covered with blankets. The aim of this research is to develop a nonobstructive multiple ultra-wideband radar sleep posture recognition system based on machine learning models. We evaluated three single-radar configurations (top, side, and head), three dual-radar configurations (top + side, top + head, and side + head), and one tri-radar configuration (top + side + head), in addition to machine learning models, including CNN-based networks (ResNet50, DenseNet121, and EfficientNetV2) and vision transformer-based networks (traditional vision transformer and Swin Transformer V2). Thirty participants (n = 30) were invited to perform four recumbent postures (supine, left side-lying, right side-lying, and prone). Data from eighteen participants were randomly chosen for model training, another six participants' data (n = 6) for model validation, and the remaining six participants' data (n = 6) for model testing. The Swin Transformer with side and head radar configuration achieved the highest prediction accuracy (0.808). Future research may consider the application of the synthetic aperture radar technique.

Adult-onset obstructive sleep apnea and pediatric pharyngoplasty in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate adult-onset obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and related risk factors, including history of pediatric palatal/pharyngeal surgery to remediate velopharyngeal dysfunction, in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS).

PATIENTS/METHODS

Using a retrospective cohort design and standard sleep study-based criteria, we determined presence of adult-onset OSA (age ≥16 years) and relevant variables through comprehensive chart review in a well-characterized cohort of 387 adults with typical 22q11.2 microdeletions (51.4% female, median age 32.3, interquartile range 25.0-42.5, years). We used multivariate logistic regression to identify independent risk factors for OSA.

RESULTS

Of the 73 adults with sleep study data, 39 (53.4%) met criteria for OSA at median age 33.6 (interquartile range 24.0-40.7) years, indicating a minimum OSA prevalence of 10.1% in this 22q11.2DS cohort. History of pediatric pharyngoplasty (odds ratio 2.56, 95% confidence interval 1.15-5.70) was a significant independent predictor of adult-onset OSA, while accounting for other significant independent predictors (asthma, higher body mass index, older age), and for male sex. An estimated 65.5% of those prescribed continuous positive airway pressure therapy were reported as adherent.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to factors of known importance in the general population, delayed effects of pediatric pharyngoplasty may contribute to risk of adult-onset OSA in individuals with 22q11.2DS. The results support increased index of suspicion for OSA in adults with a 22q11.2 microdeletion. Future research with this and other homogeneous genetic models may help to improve outcomes and to better understand genetic and modifiable risk factors for OSA.

Depth-Camera-Based Under-Blanket Sleep Posture Classification Using Anatomical Landmark-Guided Deep Learning Model

Emerging sleep health technologies will have an impact on monitoring patients with sleep disorders. This study proposes a new deep learning model architecture that improves the under-blanket sleep posture classification accuracy by leveraging the anatomical landmark feature through an attention strategy. The system used an integrated visible light and depth camera. Deep learning models (ResNet-34, EfficientNet B4, and ECA-Net50) were trained using depth images. We compared the models with and without an anatomical landmark coordinate input generated with an open-source pose estimation model using visible image data. We recruited 120 participants to perform seven major sleep postures, namely, the supine posture, prone postures with the head turned left and right, left- and right-sided log postures, and left- and right-sided fetal postures under four blanket conditions, including no blanket, thin, medium, and thick. A data augmentation technique was applied to the blanket conditions. The data were sliced at an 8:2 training-to-testing ratio. The results showed that ECA-Net50 produced the best classification results. Incorporating the anatomical landmark features increased the F1 score of ECA-Net50 from 87.4% to 92.2%. Our findings also suggested that the classification performances of deep learning models guided with features of anatomical landmarks were less affected by the interference of blanket conditions.

Curriculum development for the Saudi sleep medicine fellowship program

Objectives

Given the rapid global development of sleep medicine, well-qualified sleep medicine physicians are necessary to meet the demand. Although sleep medicine was accredited as an independent specialty in KSA in 2012, national data suggest that the number of trained and accredited sleep medicine specialists remains comparatively low. A structured sleep medicine fellowship programme was established in KSA in 2009. However, universities issued training and certification without a national training programme under the auspices of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS). Therefore, plans have been made to establish a national interdisciplinary sleep medicine training programme to serve the whole country.

Methods

In 2020, the SCFHS mandated the Specialty Curriculum Development Committee of the Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program to develop the National an adult sleep medicine national program.

Results

The committee developed an adult sleep medicine fellowship programme curriculum and requirements to ensure that trainees become competent at assessing, diagnosing, and managing various sleep disorders. The curriculum was approved by the head of the Curricula Editorial Board of the SCFHS.

Conclusions

This paper presents the curriculum and admission requirements for the newly developed Saudi Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program.