Implantable Device Cures Obstructive Sleep Apnea

[roster]

Oops. Typo. Not OSA, but maybe hypertension. Have a look at this promising device that is curing bad cases of hypertension. It is currently in the clinical trials stage.

If this device can stimulate the barorecptors to cure hypertension, surely a device can be designed that will stimulate the airway muscles all night long to cure OSA?

http://www.bloodpressuretrial.com/whatisbaroreflex.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/ ... 5152.shtml

Bye-bye CPAP?

[split_city]

If this device can stimulate the barorecptors to cure hypertension, surely a device can be designed that will stimulate the airway muscles all night long to cure OSA?

This may very well be the case. Early stages. I can't say much but keep your eyes on this space

[roster]

.......This may very well be the case. Early stages. I can't say much but keep your eyes on this space

Do it SC! I have a hopeful heart and your short comment has piled more hope on this Saturday morning. Not only for myself but for the great body of people with OSA.

I know I can breathe lying down when I am awake. So the airway muscles do function properly. It is just a matter of getting them to continue to function when I fall asleep.

[rested gal]

Some additional interesting reading --

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/584505_3


And look at the titles of research work being done in the long list of "This article has been cited by other articles" at the bottom of the page at this link:
http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/conte ... 162/3/1058

Researchers are busy.

split_city, go for it!

[roster]

Some additional interesting reading --

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/584505_3


........

Thanks RG. Two things that struck me in the article. The length of the airway is a greater factor in collapse than the narrowness. Several mentions were made about the prevalence of OSA irrespective of BMI (they are finally recognizing that plenty of slim people has OSA).

[Captain_Midnight]

Good catch Rooster, another topical and interesting article!

We might want to keep in mind, however, that xPAP has been shown in scientific studies to assist the baroreflex.

Check here (and there are others). http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/conte ... /166/3/279



.

[OldLincoln]

I wonder if this adds credence to the neck and tongue exercises in a post a week or so ago?

[roster]

I wonder if this adds credence to the neck and tongue exercises in a post a week or so ago?

Lincoln, I am glad you asked that question. In my amateurish opinion, it subtracts from the exercise argument and here's why. Our muscles are strong enough already to keep the airway open 16 to 18 hours (the awake hours) per day. Even when lying down, our muscles are strong enough to keep the airway open. Something is going wrong when we fall asleep and I don't think it is muscle strength. It is something in the signalling process. The signal for the airway muscles to flex is not strong enough when we fall asleep. Exercising the muscle might strengthen the muscle, but it won't strengthen the signal. What do you think?

[SharkBait]

Oops. Typo.

I do that all the time. I'm forever typing "Obstructive Sleep Apnea" instead of "Hypertension". It doesn't help that when I'm texting on my cellphone, it has that "predictive text" function and when I spell out the word "Hypertension" on my phone pad, it leads with the suggestion "Obstructive Sleep Apnea" and I have to hit the "next" key for it to bring up the word "Hypertension".

Darn keyboards...

[roster]

Well good guys and gals, here is the device:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=39245

See what you think.

Bye-bye CPAP.

[crossfit]

Something is going wrong when we fall asleep and I don't think it is muscle strength. It is something in the signalling process. The signal for the airway muscles to flex is not strong enough when we fall asleep. Exercising the muscle might strengthen the muscle, but it won't strengthen the signal. What do you think?

Exactly. Our muscles throughout the body are given the message to relax to a degree to NOT respond to stimuli or we would be walking, kicking, running, talking, etc in our sleep. The muscles don't completely relax thus we do some of it, but not like our waking lives.

However, to stay alive, our airways need to stay open. In normal people, the diaghragm and the throat, are NOT signaled to relax along with the rest of the muscles (I am refering to the muscle sytem involved in movement, not the heart - it is in a different muscle system. The throat and diagragm are the same however as leg, arm, back, etc muscle).

For us with OSA, our throat does not get the message to not relax. Sort of a double negative there but that is what happens. Thus, our diaghragms keep moving and we keep trying to breathe, but our airways collapse.

So, no, it isn't due to weak muscles. It is due to the signal getting to those muscles or not.

[roster]

If this device can stimulate the barorecptors to cure hypertension, surely a device can be designed that will stimulate the airway muscles all night long to cure OSA?

This may very well be the case. Early stages. I can't say much but keep your eyes on this space

SC, Looks like Aspire beat you out of the gate: viewtopic/t39245/February-27-2009-Impla ... -CPAP.html

You did not come first, but maybe you come second with a perfect device!

[roster]

OK guys, Cut it off here and go over to this thread: viewtopic/t39245/February-27-2009-Impla ... -CPAP.html