NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved a device, worn on the wrist while a patient is asleep, that can detect sleep disorders.

The device, called the Watch PAT100, was developed by Itamar Medical and will be marketed by Respironics. It uses a probe attached to the fingertip to measure a person's peripheral arterial tone (PAT), or the amount of blood flowing through blood vessels. This can help doctors determine if a patient is suffering from sleep-related breathing problems like obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to Caesarea, Israel-based Itamar.

OSA causes people to stop breathing for short periods during sleep. The condition can cause loud snoring, repeated near-wakening and increased blood pressure, and may increase the risk of stroke and heart attack. It is most common in obese adults.

The new device records the PAT signal, as well as the amount of oxygen in a patient's blood and his or her heart rate, for later analysis by a sleep specialist. This could make testing for sleep disorders--which now usually requires an overnight stay in a lab--easier for both patients and doctors.

``Our experience with providing sleep-related technologies clearly shows that the Watch PAT100 fills an important void in creating a simple, cost-effective approach to the diagnosis of OSA,'' Respironics CEO Jim Liken said in an Itamar press release.

Respironics sells devices that provide continuous airway pressure--a stream of air delivered via facemask that keeps airways open at night--for patients who have sleep apnea.

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