A device using a form of electrical acupuncture to help patients with a dangerous sleep disorder has won a Hong Kong research team the top prize at an international fair.
The device uses electrodes to stimulate acupuncture points to restart breathing in people with sleep apnoea, a condition that causes sufferers to stop breathing temporarily while asleep.
Developed by experts and students from the Polytechnic University's School of Nursing, Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Institute of Textiles and Clothing, it won a gold medal at the International Trade Fair in Nuremberg, Germany.
The device comprises an abdomen belt and a wristband, which patients wear when they sleep.
When breathing stops the belt detects a difference in the circumference of the abdomen and sends a wireless signal to the wristband.
The wristband has two electrodes that release electric pulses to the acupuncture points. Putting pressure on these points helps resume breathing, according to acupuncture theories.
