The Sleep Medicine Center of National Cheng Kung University Hospital and the Department of Engineering of National Cheng Kung University collaborated to develop a home sleep monitoring wearable device that patients can take home at their own expense.
Sleep is an important foundation for maintaining physical and mental health. National Cheng Kung University Hospital established the "Sleep Medicine Center" 10 years ago. It has developed and integrated 9 specialties and a team of 15 attending physicians. The physician manpower is like a small hospital. In recent years, the center has cooperated with the Department of Engineering of National Cheng Kung University to develop home sleep detection devices, so that patients who are not suitable for hospital sleep evaluation can do at-home sleep problem testing at their own expense in an environment they are familiar with.
Sleep medicine covers many specialties such as otolaryngology, thoracic medicine, psychiatry, neurology, pediatrics, family medicine, geriatric medicine, occupational environmental medicine and dentistry. Chengyi Sleep Medicine Center integrates 9 specialties and 15 attending physicians, led by Director Lin Zhengyou and Deputy Director Lu Zonghua, to improve the diagnosis, treatment and care capabilities of sleep diseases through inter-professional cooperation.
Lin Zhengyou and Lu Zonghua pointed out that the sleep medicine center of the hospital continues to build diversified and complete sleep medical services, covering nighttime multi-frequency sleep physiology examination (PSG), multiple daytime sleep examination (MSLT), drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE), home sleep examination (Home PSG) and positive pressure respirator wearing consultation. It provides patients with one-stop service from disease assessment, diagnosis to treatment, and serves about 120 cases every month.
The Sleep Medicine Center of National Cheng Kung University Hospital is led by two doctors, Director Lin Zhengyou (second from right) and Deputy Director Lu Zonghua (first from right).
Faced with the possible co-occurrence of insomnia and sleep apnea, the Sleep Medicine Center lists "combined insomnia and sleep apnea (COMISA)" as an important development direction. Through the integrated assessment of symptoms, medical history, and examinations, the patient's sleep problems and breathing disorders are clarified, and appropriate diagnosis and treatment strategies are planned according to individual needs, allowing sleep medicine to move from single disease treatment to individualized and integrated care centered on the patient's overall sleep quality.
In terms of research and development, the sleep center cooperated with the laboratory of Liang Shengfu, a professor in the Department of Engineering at Chengdu University, to develop an at-home detection device that combines a brain wave goggles with a sleep breathing detection system. Lin Zhengyou said that because in-hospital sleep assessments paid for by health insurance often have to wait in long queues, for patients who are in a hurry for examinations and who are unable to recognize their bed while sleeping, home sleep examinations can be provided at their own expense. Patients wear brainwave goggles and respiratory detector devices at home. They can do one or even multiple examinations if they want. After the examination, the relevant sleep data will be uploaded to the back-end database and a report will be formed, which will serve as an important basis for subsequent diagnosis.
