TTP Ventus, UK-based developer of Disc Pump, a tiny, quiet, and very efficient pump, and Sommetrics, US-based creator of aerSleep negative-pressure treatment system for obstructive sleep apnea, teamed up to develop the slimmed-down tetherless aerSleep system. aerSleep has just recently been approved for marketing to patients in Canada.
Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by airway collapse during sleep, resulting in breathing impairment and long-term health complications. It has been estimated that there are 22 million sufferers in the US alone. Conventional treatment involves continuous positive airway pressure, where sufferers wear a face mask tethered to a bedside air pump, which pumps air into their lungs all night. While this treatment is effective for most sufferers, for many the mask can be uncomfortable, and the pump is bulky and loud, while the tether can make sleep difficult.
In lieu of using positive air pressure, Sommetrics was in the process of developing a negative pressure system that can draw a vacuum on the outside of the throat, helping to shift the throat tissue and tongue forward, thereby keeping the airway open. They had planned to use a bedside vacuum pump and tether – a major disadvantage of the conventional positive-pressure system. However, upon meeting with TTP Ventus, Sommetrics realized that their Disc Pump, a miniaturized pump that operates silently, could be the key to creating a tetherless, battery-operated, and completely integrated unit. The result is aerSleep.