Importance

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Abstract

A method of evaluating a patient with sleep apnea includes monitoring a patient to produce at least one timed waveform of at least one physiologic parameter, identifying along the waveform a first waveform variation indicative of an apnea, identifying along the waveform a second waveform variation indicative of another apnea, determining the interval intermediate at least one portion of the first waveform variation and at least one portion of the second waveform, and assessing the severity of sleep apnea based on at least the determining. A device for determining the severity of sleep apnea comprises a monitor capable of generating a signal indicative of at least one physiologic parameter and a processor capable of processing the signal, the processor operating to generate a timed waveform of the parameter and to identify a plurality of sequential waveform variations indicative of a corresponding plurality of sequential apneas, the sequential waveform variations having temporal and spatial relationships between the waveform variations and along the waveform, the processor further operating to determine at least one of the temporal and the spatial relationships and displaying the determining so that the determining can be used to assess the severity of sleep apnea.

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First Claim