Ahmed Al-Jumaily
Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
Title: Improvements on CPAP treatment for OSA
Biography
Biography: Ahmed Al-Jumaily
Abstract
Over the last three decades the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) method has been used as an effective tool for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It provides air at an elevated pressure, which is normally called the titration pressure, through a nasal or facial mask, creating a pneumatic splint that keeps the pharyngeal upper airway (UA) open during inspiration and expiration. In spite of the CPAP therapy effectiveness, a number of drawbacks and negative impacts have been reported with its use. Over 45% of CPAP patients report negative side effects including discomfort, nasal irritation problems and some possible negative physiological impacts caused by the effect of CPAP on cerebral blood flow. The airway binary fluid layer and the structural characteristics of the UA have significant influence on the activity of the airway muscles by changing airway compliance and collapsibility during OSA. However, modulating the titration pressure has been reported to introduce some improvements to remedy some of these problems. This presentation shows how pressure oscillation can modulate the upper airways and improves airway compliance. Computer simulation and clinical trials have demonstrated that incorporating pressure oscillation helps to improve the UA muscle activities, allowing better air delivery and reducing the requirements for a relatively high titration pressure.