The PneaVoX tracheal sound sensor
A unique technology
The result of collaboration between Professor Jean-Louis Racineux (Angers University Hospital) and Jean Pinguet (ESEO Research Laboratory), the PneaVoX® is a unique sensor that records 3 essential physiological parameters: breathing, respiratory effort and snoring. With its patented technology, the PneaVoX® revolutionises sleep monitoring by accurately capturing patients’ breathing.
A sensor that makes all the difference
Only available in CIDELEC devices, the PneaVoX® provides highly accurate diagnosis.
Placed at the base of the neck, it records tracheal sounds during sleep. A sophisticated algorithm analyses these sounds to extract key physiological information.
- Mouth and nasal breathing.
- Respiratory effort, necessary for characterising events.
- Snoring.
Sound and pressure, measured inside the chamber, provide a raw signal.
Frequency filters are used to extract 3 signals from the raw signal:
- Breathing sounds
- Snoring
- Pressure variations (linked to respiratory effort)
These signals enable:
- Apnoea detection
- Detection of snoring above 76 dB
- Characterisation of respiratory events, using supra-sternal pressure and the ratio of inspiratory and expiratory sound energy during a cycle
An example of centrale apnoea
The image shows a PneaVoX® recording of a person’s breathing during sleep apnoea.
We can therefore observe the characteristics of central apnoea:
- An absence of breathing for more than 10 seconds, as indicated by the intensity of the audible signal (PneaVoX® Breath).
- An absence of respiratory effort.
PneaVoX® technology can be used to identify and characterise central sleep apnoea.
Some scientific publications
Tracking of respiratory effort during hypopneas in sleep apnea patients by analysis of energy ratio of breathing sounds using PneaVoX sensor
Glos M., Karaca S., Vanbuis J., Blanchard M., Pourriahi P., Jha M., Fietze I., Penzel T.
European Respiratory Journal, 2023.
DOI : 10.1183/13993003.congress-2023.PA3589
Estimation of Heart Rate From Tracheal Sounds Recorded for the Sleep Apnea Syndrome Diagnosis
Freycenon N., Longo R., Simon L.
IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2021.
DOI : 10.1109/TBME.2021.3061734
Diagnosis of sleep apnea without sensors on the patient’s face
Sabil A., Marien C., Levaillant M., Baffet G., Meslier N., Gagnadoux F.
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2020.
DOI : 10.5664/jcsm.8460
Tracheal sounds for the scoring of sleep respiratory events in children
Amaddeo A., Sabil A., Arroyo J.O., de Sanctis L., Griffon L., Baffet G., Khirani S., Fauroux B.
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2020.
DOI : 10.5664/JCSM.8206
Apnea and hypopnea characterization using esophageal pressure, respiratory inductance plethysmography, and suprasternal pressure: a comparative study
Sabil A.K., Schöbel C., Glos M., Gunther A., Veauthier C., Arens P., Fietze I., Penzel T.
Sleep and Breathing, 2019.
DOI : 10.1007/s11325-019-01793-8
Comparison of apnea detection using oronasal thermal airflow sensor, nasal pressure transducer, respiratory inductance plethysmography and tracheal sound sensor
Sabil A., Glos M., Günther A., Schöbel C., Veauthier C., Fietze I., Penzel T.
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2019.
DOI : 10.5664/jcsm.7634
Characterization of respiratory events in obstructive sleep apnea using suprasternal pressure monitoring
Glos M., Sabil A., Jelavic K.S., Schöbel C., Fietze I., Penzel T.
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2018.
DOI : 10.5664/jcsm.6978
The use of tracheal sounds for the diagnosis of sleep apnoea
Penzel T., Sabil A.
Breathe, 2017.
DOI : 10.1183/20734735.008817
Validation of a Suprasternal Pressure Transducer for Apnea Classification During Sleep
Meslier N., Simon I., Kouatchet A., Ouksel H., Person C., Racineux JL.
Sleep, 2002.
DOI : 10.1093/sleep/25.7.753
Evaluation of an ambulatory device, CID 102, in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome
Van Surell C., Lemaigre D., Leroy M., Foucher A., Hagenmuller M.P., Raffestin B.
European Respiratory Journal, 1995.
DOI : 10.1183/09031936.95.08050795
