A Non Invasive Sensor System for the Screening of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) diagnosis can be confirmed only after the polysomnography (PSG), a non-invasive examination requiring one-night hospitalization. Moreover, up to 45% of people undergone PSG actually are free from OSAS. A non invasive sensor system collecting exhaled breath and giving a fingerprint of its composition should be a valuable mean for the selection of patients amenable to polysomnography (PSG). Here the BIONOTE (a gas sensor array based on Quartz micro balances functionalized with anthocyanins) together with the Pneumopipe (a patented device for exhaled breath collection) have been used in a study including 136 subjects. BIONOTE was able to correctly discriminate controls with respect to diseased individuals and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseased (COPD) against OSAS patients.