Respironics Inc. has announced the acquisition of IM Systems’ PAM-RL, an objective activity monitoring device used to record and analyze Periodic Limb Movements (PLMs).
PLMs can disrupt sleep, or delay sleep onset, and are often associated with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and other neurological disorders.
The PAM-RL device provides researchers and clinicians with a quantifiable method for assessing limb movements. This assessment can be applied in the research environment to studying the efficacy of drug formulations and/or medical devices designed to treat RLS.
Easily worn around the ankle, the noninvasive device enables freedom of movement by the user as there are no leads or tethers. While typically worn at night during sleep, the PAM-RL can record leg movements for more than five consecutive days. After the data are recovered from the device, they are analyzed to determine the frequency of PLM events.
Special features of the device include nonvolatile memory, 5.2 days of continuous recording, a body position switch which automatically detects if the wearer is in an upright or down position, and a software application that automatically analyzes the recorded data to provide PLMs per hour.
According to Dennis Dalangin, marketing manager, “The PAM-RL is the first tool to record PLMs outside of a sleep lab or clinical trial environment. Instead of subjects spending time in a lab, they are able to remain in the comfort of their own homes and go about their normal daily activities. This patient benefit, along with ease of use, low-cost and physician-friendly features — such as high resolution data and an up/down sensor — make the PAM-RL an effective alternative to expensive and cumbersome methods required by sleep labs.”
RLS affects up to 10 percent of the U.S. adult population. Symptoms include:
- Involuntary twitching or overwhelming need to move the limbs
- Sensations described as crawling, creeping, tingling or pulling, especially at night
- Inability to sit or lie still for extended periods of time
- Severe sleep deprivation
- Relief associated with walking
The PAM-RL actigraphy device will be distributed from the Respironics’ Bend, Oregon facility. Additional product offerings include actigraphy devices such as the Actiwatch® sleep/wake activity monitors, and the Actical® and Actiheart® energy expenditure monitors.
