Sleep Apnea Treatment
People with sleep apnea stop breathing while they sleep, sometimes hundreds
of times per night, and sometimes for a minute or longer. Sleep apnea
affects about 18 million people of all ages in the U.S. and takes three
forms: obstructive, central and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA),
the most common form, occurs when the soft tissue at the back of the throat
closes, blocking (obstructing) the person’s airway. The airway remains
open in central sleep apnea, but the brain does not send signals to the
muscles involved in breathing. Mixed sleep apnea combines aspects of the
obstructive and central types. A common warning sign of sleep apnea is
snoring (especially snoring interspersed with gasps or lack of breathing),
although snoring does not always occur as a result of sleep apnea.
Because sufferers are roused from sleep briefly to resume proper breathing,
disrupting and lowering the quality of a person’s rest, sleep apnea
can cause a number of problems. If left untreated, it can result in high
blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke, memory problems, weight
gain, impotency, headaches, and daytime fatigue leading to job impairment
and motor vehicle crashes.
Treatments for sleep apnea include:
Sedated Functional Sleep Endoscopy
Sleep Endoscopy refers to a procedure performed under sedation which allows
for an assessment of a patient’s airway adequacy (as well as any
vibration or associated sounds made during respiration). By coming as
close to a natural sleep state as possible, this assessment provides invaluable
information in cases of suspected sleep apnea or disruptive snoring, which
is often not gathered during a completely awake office visit. The specialist
is also able to alter head and neck position, and provide airway support
during the endoscopy, allowing for effective nonsurgical remedy of the
sleep-associated airway narrowing. In cases where airway surgery is found
to be indicated, this can often be performed at the same time as the diagnostic
endoscopy.
In-Home Sleep Testing with CPAP Titration
In-Home Sleep Testing with CPAP Titration enables patients to undergo sleep
studies from the comfort of their own bedroom for a more accurate diagnosis.
Your doctor may recommend a sleep study if he suspects you are suffering
from obstructive sleep apnea. To perform the in-home sleep testing, the
patient will receive a portable monitor that measures activity while they
are sleeping, and a CPAP device. The CPAP device is connected to the mouth,
and it will automatically titrate, or adjust the amount of air pressure
needed to breathe during sleep without causing apnea. For accurate test
results, you must sleep for at least two hours on the night of your sleep
testing. The next day, you return the monitor and the CPAP device to your
doctor, who will interpret the results and create a customized treatment
plan for your individual condition.
Turbinate Reduction / Coblation Turbinoplasty
Coblation turbinoplasty is an effective treatment for snoring that painlessly
removes the tissue that causes nasal obstruction with radio-frequency
technology. Patients who suffer from loud snoring have enlarged turbinates
that affect their breathing and block the nasal passage. This procedure
can also be used to treat chronic nasal congestion, facial pressure and
nasal drainage.
During the procedure, local anesthetic will be applied to the nose to minimize
any discomfort. A special wand is inserted into each turbinate to carefully
remove excess tissue, instantaneously reducing the size of the turbinate.
The wand then applies coblation therapy to the area to create a channel
within the turbinate. After the coblation procedure, the channel in the
turbinate will shrink, relieving nasal obstruction and restoring normal
breathing. This will help effectively relieve snoring and other breathing problems.