Rubber necking: this device takes a different approach to sleep apnoea

This new wearable for sleep apnoea uses micropump technology - and could spell the end of the face mask for sufferers.

TTP Ventus, a spin-out from TTP created to bring disruptive new micropump technologies to market, has announced that medtech firm Sommetrics is using its disc pump technology to enable aerSleep, a novel negative-pressure system for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Having recently received a Health Canada Medical Device License, aerSleep is now approved for marketing to patients in Canada. CE mark approval is expected Q4 2018.

OSA is a disorder characterised by airway collapse during sleep, causing sufferers to stop breathing temporarily. The muscles supporting soft tissues in the throat relax, allowing the tissues to close over and obstruct the airway. It is estimated that there are more than 100 million sufferers worldwide, with more than 22 million in the United States alone. The leading conventional treatment for OSA is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). The treatment is effective yet requires users to wear a face mask connected via a hose to a large bedside pump unit, which is often uncomfortable, disruptive, and can restrict users’ movement during sleep.

Sommetrics’ aerSleep applies negative external air pressure to the outside of the neck by means of a soft collar, to gently move the tissue and tongue forward and prevent airway collapse.

Jerry Aarestad, co-founder, Sommetrics said: “We had already developed prototypes by the time we met TTP Ventus and we knew that our technology worked. However, during the early stages of development, our system shared a constraint with CPAP in that it required a connection to a bedside pump via a tube. Within minutes of seeing disc pump we knew that we’d found the solution we needed. Our whole plan had changed.”

A combination of silent, vibration-free operation, compact form factor and efficiency enabled Sommetrics to integrate disc pump directly into the collar.

Tom Harrison, business development manager, TTP Ventus, commented: “Sommetrics’ aerSleep is a great example of how disc pumps can enable genuinely disruptive products. Silent operation was critical to enabling this wearable sleep product; in other applications it’s our millisecond response time or non-pulsatile flow that bring value. We are proud to have partnered with Sommetrics to bring this ground-breaking product to market, and we hope their success will inspire other applications of our technology.”