Noninvasive Assessment of Cadiovascular Control in Sleep Apnea: Basic and Translational Research Studies

Biomedical Engineering Distinguished Lecturer Series

Professor Michael Khoo, Ph.D.
Dwight C. and Hildagarde E. Baum Chair
Biomedical Engineering Department
USC

Location: McDonnell Douglas Engineering Auditorium
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Free and open to the public.
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Abstract:

Some 18 million Americans are estimated to suffer from sleep apnea. There is ample evidence to support the belief that chronic exposure to repetitive episodes of interrupted breathing during sleep can lead to systemic hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction and stroke. Recent studies have suggested that abnormal autonomic control may be the common factor linking sleep apnea to these cardiovascular diseases.

We have adopted a three-pronged approach to obtain an improved understanding of the physiological mechanisms responsible for autonomic system dysfunction in patients with sleep apnea, as well as to develop a comprehensive technique for reliable noninvasive assessment of the cardiovascular effects of this disorder. The first part of the approach consists of the development of an experimental protocol that can nonintrusively but effectively probe the human cardiorespiratory system and amplify the spontaneous fluctuations in heart rate and blood pressure. The second part consists of the application of carefully designed system identification techniques that enable us to analyze the dynamic characteristics of the system using measurements made under closed-loop conditions. Finally, based on our findings and others reported in the literature, we develop a comprehensive computer simulation model of cardiorespiratory and sleep-wake state control. Simulations with this model allow us to determine which of the myriad of factors are most affected by the pathological consequences of sleep apnea.

About the Speaker:

Michael C. K. Khoo received his undergraduate training in mechanical engineering from Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London , and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in bioengineering from Harvard University . Following his graduate training, he worked as a research associate at the V.A. Hospital , West Roxbury, MA, and the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA . Since September 1983, he has been a member of the Biomedical Engineering Department at University of Southern California , where he is currently Professor and Chairman. He is the current holder of the Dwight C. and Hildagarde E. Baum Chair of Biomedical Engineering. He is also Co-Director of Education and Outreach in the Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems Engineering Research Center at USC. His current research interests include cardiorespiratory regulation and variability in sleep apnea, physiological modeling, and biomedical signal processing. Dr. Khoo is a Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society as well as the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. He is also a member of the American Physiological Society, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the American Heart Association.