# A Novel mHealth Approach for the Monitoring and Assisted Therapeutics of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
## 5 Conclusions  
Through the work developed throughout this article, it is possible to discern that obstructive sleep apnea is, indeed, a problem that has nested in our society and that is taking on more significant proportions, with the prospect of this increasing if it is not faced seriously and if nothing is done to contain it. Many therapies are available on the market, however, patients find them difficult to accept because many of them require surgery for the treatment to be applied. This point makes them unappealing to sufferers of this condition. In this paper a proof of concept of a device for OSA therapy with a completely different approach was proposed. The concept of electromyography was studied and explored in order to be able, after data analysis and treatment, to detect apneas when they are about to happen, in order to solve them without the patient waking up from their sleep. One way to overcome this lack of activation of the tongue muscles, which promotes airway collapse, is electrostimulation, as described in the literature. This was simulated in this work using the PWM technique. Additionally, a smartphone application was developed, which was directed at both the user and the specialist, allowing them to work in a symbiotic way, promoting a more intimate interaction of the patient with the treatment, as well as the doctor-patient relationship, and, thus, obtaining better results. Through the work developed, it was possible to successfully detect, analyze, and process the muscle's electrical signals, allowing for the detection of abnormalities and the prevention of potential apneic events, and to store these data in an automated way. The final, idealized device is shown in Figure 20.  
Figure 19: (**A**) Demonstration of a PWM-generated stimulus signal with an average voltage of 2.48 V and (**B**) demonstration of a PWM-generated stimulus signal with a duration of 250 ms.  
All the testing, development, and assembly of the circuitry presented above, serves as a proof of concept for its possible implementation in a physical device. This device should take the form of a mouthguard, identical to those used at night for dental alignment. This must be made of a watertight material, such as acrylic resin, in order to be rigid and resistant to all the necessary electronics and components. This mouthguard must, necessarily, be made with the specific dimensions of each user's jaw. It must also contain a section made of a more flexible material, which, at the same time, is also resistant, and which houses both the measuring electrodes and the stimulus electrode, pressing them directly against the muscle without causing discomfort. The electronic component should go through an adaptation of the circuit developed: acquiring more accurate sensors, of a smaller size; and a control system that only has the essential components--in order to have the lowest energy consumption possible--and these components should be designed in a PCB. The system should be powered by a battery, compatible with the energy needs of the system and the size of the device, which should have enough energy for at least 7 h of operation. The battery should be charged through electromagnetic induction, and the device should be placed in the charging base every day, after use. The electrodes are a very important element, because the good and effective operation of the system depends on the data collected by these elements. They must be developed especially for this function and be embedded in the system. The myoelectric signal is the electrical manifestation of neuromuscular activation associated with a muscle. This is an extremely complex signal, which can be affected by several factors, such as the anatomical and physiological properties of the muscle under study, the characteristics and accuracy of the sensors used to detect and analyze it, the type of electrodes used to acquire the signal, the stability of the contact of these electrodes with the muscle, and external interference, among others.