The Lifetouch study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility study to evaluate wireless sensors (Lifetouch) for simplified identification of Paediatric Sleep Apnoea based on RR intervals
IRAS ID
299944
Contact name
Heather Elphick
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Hallam University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Sleep apnoea, or breathing pauses during sleep, affects up to 5% of children and can lead to low oxygen levels and disruption to sleep. If left untreated, it can eventually result in heart failure and in some cases emergency admission to hospital with near-miss sudden death episodes. Treatment of sleep apnoea in children is very effective, but methods of diagnosing sleep apnoea can be poorly tolerated by children. The current “gold-standard” clinic diagnostic test is polysomnography (PSG) which requires the children to spend a night in a hospital wearing a range of sensors which are often not tolerated well and are pulled off, or come off accidentally during the night. A new accurate, well tolerated method that can be carried out in the home is needed.
Dr Faust’s team at Sheffield Hallam University has developed a deep learning algorithm to detect sleep apnoea based on RR intervals signals. The RR interval signals are measured with Lifetouch sensors from Isansys. These smart patch sensors stick to the chest and send data wirelessly to the Patient Status Engine platform which relays the data to a cloud application. We propose to establish whether the Isansys Lifetouch sensor and Patient Status Engine system with the deep learning algorithm will automate sleep apnoea detection in children.
The study will take place on 15 children being investigated for sleep apnoea in the sleep unit at Sheffield Children’s Hospital where Dr Elphick’s clinical team diagnoses and treats up to 500 children a year. The Lifetouch sensor will be worn overnight alongside the clinical PSG and the signals from the two systems will be compared to evaluate the accuracy of the research method. Information will also be collected from the children and their parents to determine whether they find the sensor comfortable and easy to use. This will help us to establish if the method can be used as a diagnostic tool for use in the home environment.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/SC/0366
Date of REC Opinion
23 Nov 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion