Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) afflicts approximately 10,000 newborns per year. It's the single largest cause of death in infants under one year of age. The disease present no early warning symptoms, therefore only near-miss or siblings of SIDS victims qualify for monitoring. The high cost of monitors, their reliability and complexity makes routine monitoring probibitive. A low cost, motion sensitive apnea monitor has been developed utilizing a semiconductive elastomer as a strain transducer. The device is portable, easy to use and senses apnea reliably. In a controlled clinical study this device detected 17 of 19 apneic episodes, compared to 6 of 19 for a standard commercial mattress-type monitor. The early detection of obstructive apnea will broaden the utility and market acceptance of this device. The inclusion of heart rate monitoring will yield a product compatible with marketplace expectations and norms. A dual transducer approach is proposed to identify obstructive respiration mechanics prior to the onset of bradycardia. Additional enhancements to the basic technology include: the patient/transducer interface, to reduce or eliminate the occurrence of false (positive) alarms; transducer materials and configurations; and miniaturization of the electronics and power supply to strive for an ultimately """"""""wearable"""""""" device.
