Comparative Study of Various Breath Assist Devices and the Effect of Sleep Apnea (SA) Among the Indian Population

Sleep-related disorders (SRDs) and their implications are frequent but they are often under-reported and mostly ignored. Sleep apnoea is one of the most common SRD, commonly neglected or unnoticed due to a lack of proper insights into its ill effects. Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) causes the ceasing of breath several times within an hour during sleep. This paper aims to discuss the need to screen and treat OSA among Indian populations. Also, discuss various CPAP instruments available and the latest methodologies used to automate the air pressure from the blower/air pump. This can facilitate researchers in this field to accustom the device to the emerging need of the Indian population and opt for suitable sensors, algorithms, or methodology based on the patient sleep parameters. A device most suitable for the Indian population is needed to cater for the needs of OSA patients in India. An online survey, from 79 responses, 74.3% were filled by women and 25.6% were from Men, among which 29.4% fall under the age group of 20-30 years, 42.3% fall under 30-40 years age group, 23% belong to 40-50 age group and 0.05% belong to above 50 age group and 23% of the totally set fall under obese category as their BMI is above 30. It was found that 61.5% are totally unaware of OSA. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score was calculated, it is noted that the individuals with excessive day time sleepiness are mostly aged above 40 despite their BMI being within 30. There is greater possibility for them to have OSA which is greatly ignored given the fact their vitals are stable at the moment. From the Berlin Questionnaire for sleep evaluation, It is noted that 17.94% of the individuals who filled the questionnaire have a high likelihood of sleep disordered breathing whose profession include teaching and IT sector.