Grand Blanc-based Spud Software has created an app, called One Connect, that can be used at home to test for sleep apnea, a disorder that creates blockage of the airway during sleep.
“These sleep studies are usually done in a sleep lab, with the patient hooked up to wires, and monitored during sleep by a sleep technologist,” says Derek Sommer, president of Spud. “With this app, patients will now have the option to take the test from home.”
Sommer says the app, awaiting FDA approval, could be beneficial for patients whose insurance won’t cover a sleep test, or for those who don’t want to have an in-lab study.
“Sleep apnea is a very serious condition that can lead to bigger problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke,” Sommer says. “If we can increase the amount of people willing to take the tests by simplifying the procedure, then we have hit our goal.”
Sommer says patients receive a case-protected Android phone with the app pre-installed. The app then offers patients instructions on how to hook up wires to their body. The data is automatically recorded onto the phone and is then sent to the physician.
