Reviewed by Barry P. Kimberley, PhD, MD
NesSom Clinics, Minneapolis, MN
REMARKABLY GOOD OVERALL EXPERIENCE
One of the factors considered in deciding to implement this system was a curiosity as to whether it would alter my current medical management of upper airway reflux. I was also curious about how onerous such testing would be, both for the patient and me. The software and hardware components of the system were both relatively easy to grasp and understand, plus I appreciate that the entire system is portable. My experience with after sales support has been remarkably good. We have had relatively instantaneous response to questions and as well have had ready onsite support when needed.
STUDYING UPPER AIRWAY REFLUX & MEASURING pH
In the sleep laboratory market, this product provides a relatively easy and cost effective method to study upper airway reflux during a PSG. The probe insertion is easy and I believe sleep technicians would be very comfortable with this additional task. Sleep physicians, particularly those with backgrounds in pulmonary medicine and otolaryngology, will be able to incorporate this reflux information into broader treatment options for the upper airway.
The application of this product is for the characterization of upper airway reflux. It can easily be incorporated into a PSG study, where the temporal relationship between obstructive events and laryngeal reflux can be studied.
In a split night study, CPAP titration may be shown to eliminate the reflux process in individual patients. What makes this product unique is the relatively non-invasive and accurate way it measures laryngeal pH levels.
A nearly imperceptible probe sits just behind the soft palate, measuring gaseous pH levels that correlate accurately with laryngeal pH.
PROBE CALIBRATION PROCESS ENHANCEMENT
In the clinic setting the device can be sent out with the patient for a 48-hour monitoring process. In this way reflux can be correlated with natural events like sleeping (supine posture), eating, and even exercise. Ultimately the clinical information garnered from this instrument could guide medical therapy with proton pump inhibitors. In theory it could influence CPAP settings as well. One potential product development that would enhance its acceptance would be an automation of the initial probe calibration process. In its current formulation it is necessary to manually calibrate the recording probe to two different solutions with known pH levels. This process takes about ten minutes.
