BACKGROUND Mandibular advancement devices (MADs) can successfully control both snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Many patients on nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) for OSA would like a more portable alternative, even if only temporarily. This study assesses what proportion of patients with OSA already on NCPAP can successfully use a MAD for short periods (up to 1 month...

Study objectives: The purpose of this 12-week study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adjunct modafinil to treat excessive sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who experience residual sleepiness despite regular nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) use. Design: Twelve-week, open-label trial. Setting: Twenty-two centers in the United States. Patients: We...

The response to nasal continuous positive airways pressure (nCPAP) of a wide variety of symptoms recognized to be associated with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) was examined. Fifty-six consecutive patients with OSAS, confirmed by polysomnography (mean (SD) apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) 49.6 (22.6) events x h(-1), Epworth score 15.4 (5.0)), were asked to complete paired symptom evaluati...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to determine whether reducing the expiratory pressure during nasal positive airway pressure for reasons of comfort causes a substantial decrease in the upper airway calibre. METHODS Eight patients with obstructive sleep apnoea were studied. Continuous computed tomography (each run lasting 12 seconds) was used to measure minimum and maximum pharyngeal cross sectiona...

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a frequent finding in the elderly. SDB is related to morbidity, mortality, quality of life, disability, and cognitive impairment. Treatment of choice for SDB is nasal positive airway pressure breathing (nCPAP). The impact of treatment for SDB on activities of daily living (ADLs) is unclear. We therefore investigated the relationship between SDB and ADLs in a ...

BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is associated with cardiovascular diseases, in particular systemic arterial hypertension. We postulated that intermittent nocturnal hypoxia in OSAS may be associated to decreased fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) levels from distal airspaces. METHODS Multiple flow rate measurements have been used to fractionate nitric oxide (NO) from alv...