Sleep Apnea John Paquet III BME 281 S

Sleep Apnea John Paquet III BME 281 S 01 02 October 2013

What Exactly is Sleep Apnea? Apnea (“want of breath”) = a pause in breathing Narrower throat area When muscles in upper throat relax during sleep, airway becomes blocked Results in repeating pattern of heavy snoring, a silent period, and a gasp

Types of Sleep Apnea Obstructive Sleep Apnea ◦ Most common kind of sleep-disordered breathing Central Sleep Apnea ◦ Imbalance of respiratory control centers in brain during sleep ◦ Controls fail to give signal to inhale, resulting in missed cycles of breathing Complex/Mixed Sleep Apnea ◦ Combination of obstructive and central

Facts Each apnea can last from 10 seconds to minutes 5 to 30 or more apneas per hour Affects around 18 million people in US, many of whom are unaware that they have the condition

Causes Obesity Large neck Large tongue Short lower jaw in comparison with upper jaw

Symptoms and Potential Risks Irritability and impatience Forgetfulness Drowsiness Headaches Increased risk of: ◦ High blood pressure ◦ Heart disease ◦ Stroke

CPAP Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ◦ Small machine delivers stream of pressurized air through tube to mask Traditional CPAP machines require patient to input desired pressure (determined from a sleep study) APAP automatically changes air pressure as necessary to minimize number of apneas ◦ Can even warm/humidify air and monitor breathing

CPAP (Continued) Advantages: ◦ Better mood, better memory, higher alertness during day, increased productivity, regular sleep patterns Disadvantages: ◦ Eye irritation, nasal congestion, dry or sore mouth ◦ These can typically be remedied by humidification, keeping CPAP equipment clean, and choosing the right mask

Oral Devices and Surgery Mandibular advancement splint Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP or UP 3) ◦ Removes excess tissue at back of throat Base-of-tongue advancement Maxillomandibular advancement

Discussion CPAP machines are far less expensive than surgery Even if apnea is cured, surgical procedures pose potential risk of creating complications (i. e. via infection, nerve damage-TMD) Dental appliances can be around the same cost or even cheaper than CPAP, but are less effective and only treat mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea CPAP is most common, effective, non-invasive treatment for patients with moderate to severe sleep apnea

References "Nasal CPAP. " Medline Plus. U. S. National Library of Medicine, n. d. Web. <http: //www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001916. htm>. "Obstructive Sleep Apnea. " Medline Plus. U. S. National Library of Medicine, n. d. Web. <http: //www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000811. htm>. "Sleep Apnea. " Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n. d. Web. <http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Sleep_apnea>. "Sleep Apnea Facts. " Your. Lung. Health. org - Sleep Apnea Facts. American Association for Respiratory Care, n. d. Web. <http: //www. yourlunghealth. org/lung_disease/sleep_apnea/facts/>.