Democratizing Sleep Apnea Endotyping for Precision Care. 14.10.2026 For decades, the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) has provided clinicians with classifications to describe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity based on the number of breathing pause events per hour of sleep. But a single number can only tell part of the story. AHI tells Nox Medical how often respiratory events occur. It does not necessarily explain why they occur, why two patients with similar AHI values can experience OSA very differently, or why they may respond differently to the same treatment. That is where sleep apnea endotyping is beginning to change the conversation. As Professor Danny J. Eckert of Flinders University's College of Medicine and Public Health notes, understanding a patient's underlying endotypes can help explain why that individual develops OSA - and may ultimately help match the right patient to the right treatment. At Sleep Europe 2026, Nox Medical will bring together experts for the symposium "From Signals to Clinical Strategy: Democratizing Sleep Apnea Endotyping for Precision Care." The session will explore how advances in airflow measurement, signal analytics, and AI may make physiological insights that were once largely confined to research settings more accessible in clinical care. Looking beneath the AHI. OSA is a heterogeneous disorder. Different physiological mechanisms can contribute to airway obstruction and instability during sleep, including differences in upper-airway collapsibility, ventilatory control, arousal threshold, and muscle responsiveness. Understanding those mechanisms may provide information that conventional severity measures cannot. "AHI is useful for describing the frequency of respiratory events, but it doesn't tell us why a particular patient has obstructive sleep apnea," says Heidi Riney, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Nox Health. "Endotyping gives us a window into the underlying physiology." That distinction matters clinically. Two patients of similar age and BMI may have almost identical AHIs yet report very different symptoms, experience different physiological disturbances during sleep, and respond differently to the same therapy. Eckert extends that point to treatment selection: endotype information may identify patients - including some with severe OSA - whose physiology is associated with response to non-CPAP therapies, a possibility that may be obscured by the headline severity number alone. Rather than simply asking how severe is this patient's OSA?, endotyping introduces another question: what is driving it? From trial and error toward more informed treatment selection. The timing is increasingly relevant as treatment options for OSA expand. Positive airway pressure remains a cornerstone of treatment, but clinicians now have a growing range of alternatives. Selecting among them is still frequently based on broad clinical characteristics followed by a degree of therapeutic trial and error. According to Jón Skírnir Ágústsson, PhD, VP of Artificial Intelligence and Data Research at Nox Medical, understanding a patient's endotype could eventually help clinicians identify patients who may struggle with a particular therapy and consider strategies to improve treatment success earlier. One example is arousal threshold. Ágústsson notes that research has found that patients with a low arousal threshold may tolerate PAP differently and may experience different treatment effects on sleep parameters than patients with a higher threshold. Insights like these could add important context to conventional metrics. Eckert sees potential across existing and emerging therapies. He points to oral appliance therapy as one of the clearest examples today, noting evidence that endotype-informed patient selection could improve treatment success from roughly 50% to around 80%. If validated and translated into routine pathways, this type of stratification could help shorten the treatment journey and get appropriate patients to an effective therapy sooner. Riney sees a similar opportunity: "If endotyping can reliably identify the physiology driving an individual patient's disease, it could help us better match patients to therapies they are more likely to respond to and tolerate, and potentially get them to effective treatment sooner." The goal is not to replace established measures such as AHI. It is to add physiological context that could support a more individualized treatment strategy. Making complex physiology clinically accessible. Endotyping itself is not new. What is changing is the possibility of deriving increasingly sophisticated physiological information from signals already collected during sleep testing. The Sleep Europe symposium will examine how advances in airflow measurement, signal analytics, and AI may help turn routine sleep signals into clinically meaningful physiological traits - without necessarily adding substantial testing burden for the patient or care team. That accessibility may be critical to moving endotyping beyond specialized research laboratories. "For endotyping to become part of routine care, it has to translate complex physiology into information that is simple, reliable, and clinically actionable," Riney says. "Ideally, those insights should be derived from the sleep testing clinicians are already doing." Eckert argues that this translation now needs to become tangible in everyday workflows. Echoing the recent American Thoracic Society statement on translating OSA endotyping to the clinic, he highlights a practical next step: making endotype information readily available in sleep study reports, supported by educational resources that help clinicians interpret and apply it. Important questions remain. Prospective evidence is still needed to demonstrate that using endotype information to direct therapy meaningfully improves patient outcomes. Clinical guidelines, reimbursement structures, and practical treatment pathways will also need to evolve. As sleep medicine moves toward more personalized care, understanding the mechanisms beneath respiratory events may help clinicians see patients not simply as an AHI category, but as individuals with distinct physiology, treatment needs, and opportunities for better outcomes. From Signals to Clinical Strategy: Democratizing Sleep Apnea Endotyping for Precision Care takes place at Sleep Europe 2026 on Thursday, October 22, from 12:45-13:45 in Session Room 0.11, featuring Heidi Riney, Jón Skírnir Ágústsson, and Danny Eckert. Topic: Events

Meet Nox at SLEEP 2026 and discover what's next. 05.06.2026 From June 14-17, the sleep community will gather in Baltimore, Maryland for SLEEP 2026, the premier annual meeting for sleep clinicians, researchers, and industry leaders. Hosted by the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) - a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS) - the meeting showcases the latest developments shaping the future of sleep medicine. Nox Medical is excited to return to SLEEP this year to share new research, connect with colleagues, and demonstrate its latest innovations. Visit Nox Medical at Booth #645. As a proud sponsor and exhibitor, Nox Medical invites you to Booth #645 to experience its comprehensive portfolio of sleep diagnostics solutions. Designed to meet the evolving needs of providers across care settings, its tools support everything from in-lab PSG to advanced HSAT - seamlessly connected through the cloud and powered by AI-driven insights. See how its technology empowers clinicians to diagnose with precision, care, and confidence. Satellite symposium on endotyping Sleep Apnea. This year, Nox Medical will host an important satellite symposium titled "Endotyping Sleep Apnea: Precision Treatment in a Changing Therapeutic Landscape." This symposium will explore the growing focus on endotyping to guide precision treatment and new tools to extract deeper physiologic insights beyond AHI. Join the experts as they discuss practical considerations for incorporating physiologic trait analysis into clinical workflows as new therapies and care models emerge. Tuesday, June 16 | 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Holiday Ballroom 1-3, Hilton Baltimore Featured Speakers: Danny Eckert, PhD Director, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI) Flagship Sleep Health Program Matthew Flinders Professor, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University Andrew Wellman, MD, PhD Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Director, Sleep Disordered Breathing Lab, Brigham and Women's Hospital Reena Mehra, MD, MS, FCCP, FAASM, ATSF A. Bruce Montgomery, MD, American Lung Association Endowed Chair in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Division Head, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Associate Editor, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Professor of Medicine, University of Washington Session Chair: Emerson Kerr, MBA, RRT, FAAST Director of Clinical Affairs, Nox Medical Co-chair: Jón Skírnir Ágústsson, PhD VP Artificial Intelligence and Data Research, Nox Medical Lunch will be provided, giving attendees an opportunity to learn from experts while making the most of their conference schedule. Add event to calendar: Scientific contributions at SLEEP 2026. Beyond its satellite symposium, Nox Medical is proud to contribute six accepted abstracts to the scientific program at SLEEP 2026 through a series of poster presentations that underscore its commitment to advancing sleep diagnostics. * Operational Impact of AI-derived AHI on Inconclusive HSAT studies: sex specific reclassification in 3094 home tests Poster Board #395 | Tuesday, June 16, 10:00-10:45 a.m. Presenter: Heidi Riney * Integrating Digital CBT-I into a Comprehensive Value-Based Telehealth Sleep Service. Poster Board #397 | Tuesday, June 16, 10:00-10:45 a.m. Speaker: Jason Ong * Making Type III HSAT Recordings Conclusive: Large-Scale Validation of an FDA-Cleared AI AHI Classifier from HSAT Signals. Poster Board #153 | Wednesday, June 17, 10:00-10:45 a.m. Presenter: Jón Skírnir Ágústsson * Fully Automated Central Apnea Scoring in Home Sleep Apnea Testing Using Dual Volumetric RIP and AI Analysis. Poster Board #156 | Wednesday, June 17, 11:00-11:45 a.m. Presenter: Jón Skírnir Ágústsson * Conclusive AHI from RIP-Only Type III HSAT: Comparison of RIP-Based and Cannula-Based AI Analyses in a Large Multicenter Cohort. Poster Board #160 | Wednesday, June 17, 11:00-11:45 a.m. Presenter: Jón Skírnir Ágústsson * Digital CBT-I is Associated with Meaningful, Sustained Reductions in Depression and Anxiety Among those with Clinically Significant Baseline Symptoms. Poster Board #210 | Wednesday, June 17, 11:00-11:45 a.m.| Presenter: Rebecca Hankla & Jason Ong Discussion Panel: In addition, Nox Medical will participate in the discussion panel "Achieving Practice Success: Optimal Approaches to Deliver Comprehensive, Patient-Centered Sleep Care in the Real-World." Led by Dr. Emerson Wickwire and featuring Dr. Heidi Riney, the session will explore practical approaches to delivering patient-centered sleep care in today's evolving healthcare landscape. Wednesday, June 17 | 1:00-2:00 p.m. Ballroom III/IV Nox Medical LLC invite attendees to connect with its researchers and clinical experts throughout the conference to learn more about these studies and the future of sleep medicine. Celebrate 20 years of innovation at Nox Night. Wrap up a busy day at SLEEP 2026 with Nox Night, its can't-miss social event bringing together sleep industry professionals in a relaxed, upbeat atmosphere. This year's celebration is particularly meaningful as Nox Medical LLC mark 20 years of innovation, collaboration, and progress in sleep health. It's an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, meet new friends, and celebrate the people and partnerships that have helped shape its journey. Guests will enjoy drinks, light appetizers, and spectacular views of Baltimore while networking in a relaxed atmosphere. The evening will also feature live performances from the Nox RIP Band, Nox Medical's own house band, joined by the energetic Bachelor Boys Band. The event will take place Monday, June 15th at The Bygone, located at the top of the Four Seasons Hotel, from 6-8 pm. Space is limited, so Nox Medical LLC encourage guests to RSVP in advance. Link to RSVP Nox Medical LLC look forward to seeing you in Baltimore for an exciting week of learning, collaboration, and celebration at SLEEP 2026. See you in Baltimore! Topic: Events Ellisif Sigurjónsdóttir