Infant Sleep Apnea monitor
Infant sleep apnea is a medical condition with cessation of breathing due to upper airway blockage. It can lead to heart problems that would eventually become the reason for an infant?s death. It mostly occurs in premature babies. The more premature a baby is, the more likely it is to get apnea. A p
2025-06-28 16:27:49 - Adil Khan
Infant Sleep Apnea monitor
Project Area of Specialization Biomedical EngineeringProject SummaryInfant sleep apnea is a medical condition with cessation of breathing due to upper airway blockage. It can lead to heart problems that would eventually become the reason for an infant’s death. It mostly occurs in premature babies. The more premature a baby is, the more likely it is to get apnea. A premature baby is already prone to a variety of conditions like infections, anemia, etc. An apnea under these circumstances is very hard to detect if the baby is not being closely monitored. As it affects the heartbeat and the oxygen saturation levels in the body alongside the temperature of the body, a detection system could monitor the vitals of the premature baby. In case an episode of apnea happens, and the breathing stops for more than 20 seconds, the system would activate the alarm and inform the healthcare providers. This detection system includes a microcontroller that is programmed to detect an episode. The vitals are being monitored using the sensors for heart rate, temperature, and oxygen saturation. The values obtained would be directly communicated with the microcontroller that would eventually ring the alarm/buzzer. To further modify this system, a Wi-Fi module could be an excellent addition that will notify the respective parties i.e. both primary [healthcare providers] and secondary users [parents], by sending an automated generated message to their devices.
Project ObjectivesThis project investigates and develops innovative, adaptive techniques for apnea detection and improved user experience, comfortable fit, improved product design, and strict safety measures. The objective of this project is to
• Develop a prototype for the detection of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in infants.
• Detect the OSA with a short duration and alarm parents and healthcare workers.
• Design a comfortable device suitable for neonatal use.
• Make the system cost-effective.
The sensors like Spo2 (Max30100), Stretch (Conductive rubber cord), and Temp (DHT11) will take the reading as an input from the infant. These analog readings are given to the Arduino Uno (microcontroller) that will have a program already burned into it. The source of power supply for the Arduino is a battery that will power the microcontroller. The processing will lead to the output as a Buzzer/Alarm in case an apnea episode occurs. LCD will display the condition. The addition of a Wi-Fi module will be a valuable approach that would send a notification to parents of infants or the primary users i.e. healthcare providers.
The block diagram of the proposed scheme is attached below
The un-apparent nature of the disorder has increased the mortality rate of premature babies because it often goes undiagnosed. A monitoring system could timely alert the healthcare providers.
The limited medical resources in Pakistan are a big hurdle to timely detection. Thus, a device that not only detects an apnea episode using the sensor readings but also saves the lives of the infants by notifying the doctors, nurses, and parents would be of extreme assistance.
The device would be cost-effective as the already available devices like Delta RM15, RAN Nice 5050, Oricom Babysense 7 Monitor, etc are expensive and not readily available in Pakistan.
• Product: Sleep Apnea Monitor
• Function: A wearable infant monitoring device that detects sleep apnea
• Parameters: Chest movement, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and temperature
• Components: sensors, conductive rubber cord, potentiometer, microcontrollers, power supply, and belt
Technical details
- Sensors: DHT11,Max30100
- Microcontroller: Arduino UNO
- Power Supply: Battery
- Belt Material: Silicone
- Circuit: PCB Board
| Item Name | Type | No. of Units | Per Unit Cost (in Rs) | Total (in Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total in (Rs) | 26550 | |||
| Max30100 Sensor | Equipment | 1 | 450 | 450 |
| Conductive Cord | Equipment | 1 | 10000 | 10000 |
| DHT11 Sensor | Equipment | 1 | 1300 | 1300 |
| Arduino Uno | Equipment | 1 | 2500 | 2500 |
| Resistors [Chart] | Equipment | 1 | 300 | 300 |
| Battery | Equipment | 1 | 2000 | 2000 |
| Wires | Equipment | 1 | 1000 | 1000 |
| Silicone Belt | Equipment | 1 | 4000 | 4000 |
| Control Box fabrication | Equipment | 1 | 3000 | 3000 |
| PCB circuit fabrication | Equipment | 1 | 2000 | 2000 |