Braebon's MediByte Home Sleep Testing Device

Michael Clark
Director of Sales
Braebon
Ogdensburg, NY

MEDIBYTE - A SECOND GENERATION HST DEVICE

After the success of the initial MediByte type 3 HST recorder we decided to move forward and develop a second generation device with a number of improvements. The original MediByte was already a leader in portable recording technology but we felt there was still room for improvement gained from feedback of a number of sites using the product. At the same time this project was initiated the AASM had just released their Clinical Guidelines for Unattended Portable Monitors in the Diagnosis of OSA so the timing was right to adopt all the new recommendations into the new unit. We also looked carefully at the recent AASM Scoring Guidelines and made sure the improvements included those recommendations as well. The result was a second generation device that meets or exceeds all the AASM published guidelines, yet is still remarkably easy to use.

MEDIBYTE'S UNIQUE FEATURES

The single most impressive feature of the MediByte is the performance per size ratio. The initial unit had 10 channels packed into a single enclosure about the size of a small cell phone with a total weight of less than 3 ounces. The power consumption was low enough to allow 24 hours of recording time from a single battery. The device could be programmed to go dormant for up to 7 days and then come alive and record back to back night studies. Channel selection included dual effort, air flow pressure and derived snoring, oximetry and derived heart rate, body position and patient event marker. In addition to these standard type 3 requirements it also included an AUX channel that could be selected to record a number of signals including a snore microphone, leg movements, EKG and EMG. The enclosure itself was also designed to be drop proof durable with extra strength LEMO connectors to increase reliability.

MEDIBYTES'S NEW FEATURES

The first improvement in this second generation 12-channel version was to replace the standard piezo belts with new RIP technology. This follows the AASM recommendations for recording respiratory effort and also provided the opportunity to add an additional sum channel. Following the guidelines closely we also added a thermister airflow channel so both nasal pressure and oral-nasal thermal sensors can be used. Another unique feature employed was the ability to record and playback the snoring sounds when using the high sample rate snore microphone option. This provides the ability to select a portion of the snoring activity on any given epoch and play it back with remarkable clarity. The new MediByte can also monitor CPAP pressure and flow by using the nipple connection on the mask connected to the internal pressure transducer. Software enhancements include more montage selections specific to the additional channels and the option to eliminate bad data from the raw data screens.

MEDIBYTE IS EASY TO USE

A very important feature of the MediByte is its ease of use, both from the end user and patient's perspective. Each unit is supplied with Wizard software that allows the user to program a number of preset configerations depending upon the application. We spent considerable effort making this an easy process that takes less than a minute to complete. Each step of this process is accompanied with a graphic image of the body indicating where the sensors are to placed. From the patients perspective the only sensors required for type 3 recording is a single effort belt (which also holds the unit to the chest), a cannula and finger oximetry probe. Additional sensors can be applied if a more sophisticated study is required. The MediByte comes complete with a plastic carrying case with everything necessary for an overnight test. Included in the kit is an easy to understand laminated graphic that explains the simple patient hook-up procedure.

MEDIBYTE IS IDEAL FOR THE HST MARKET

The MediByte is an ideal choice for the HST market due to a number of reasons. First, it meets or exceeds all the AASM requirements for unattended portable monitoring of OSA. This means if your sleep facility is AASM accredited or going through the accreditation process, any type 3 device used for HST must meet these guidelines. Second, patients will find it is easy to hook up the few sensors required with only limited instruction. Third, the signal quality is very high with full disclosure of all the raw data for quick event editing. Fourth, the single page reports are comprehensive specific combining all the important study parameters with a graphic night summary chart. And finally the MediByte was designed to be very durable as it will continue to provide reliable results even after it has been dropped many times.

MEDIBYTE ACCOMMODATES DIVERSE USERS

The diverse nature of the MediByte allows it to be utilized in a wide range of recording applications. Aside from the obvious advantages, its small size makes it ideal for both adult and pediatric studies in many areas. Dental sleep professionals can now measure the true quantitative snoring sounds and db level with a microphone sensor sampled at 2000 Hz. This helps the dentist to evaluate a snoring patient and monitor the effectiveness of an oral appliance. Cardiologists entering into sleep medicine can program the unit for 24 hour holter recording while simultaneously measuring a number of sleep breathing disorder parameters. The flexibility of the device will drive it into new market segments that include perioperative, pain management and health wellness programs as well as the transportation and other service industries.

For more information, please visit www.braebon.com

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