Apnea Treatment in 2050

[SleepyT]

I have a design in my head...but I'm not an engineer...so maybe someone who is can take this and run with it for future generations!

What if, instead of nasal pillows, there was something that looked like those foam ear plugs...but for the nose. Except the inside core would have the microchips to set pressure requirements and some sort of tiny motor to deliver the pressure...but the outside core would be squishable (like the foam ear plugs) so the fit inside the nares would be tight. Of course, they would need to be washable. But imagine!...no headgear..no pressure points...it would all be kindof hidden...the way some of the newer hearing aids are no longer very visible. Comfort, though, would be the biggest improvement. Don't know how humidity could be added....hmmmm....

Come on, designers/engineers...here's your million dollar idea! Is it doable? (must be getting better...starting to dream up goofy ideas! )

T.

[Jason S.]

Cure for OSA won't matter, I'll be dead of old age, or at least I hope so.

[SleepyT]

I hear ya, Jason...I probably will be expired as well...but for future sufferers...life without a hose on their head would be an improvement. Oh well....we'll see where the technology takes us! Let's write this one off to a bizarre dream/fantasy! Take care!

[NeedSleepLA]

But imagine!...no headgear..no pressure points...it would all be kindof hidden...the way some of the newer hearing aids are no longer very visible.T.

I can see it now, I would be chasing these things all over the room when they shoot out like tiny missiles...LOL

[klockemy]

What about mouth breathers? Or those who still 'motorboat' when wearing chinstraps(like me)?

Taping/pasting would be catastrophic if the device failed in your sleep.

[SleepyT]

True...it was (admittedly) bizarre...came to me when I was half awake. However...ideas come from other ideas..so who knows! Well, then...how about a mask that has the motor imbedded in it...it draws the air in...thru a filter...at the right pressure....and that would eliminate the hose attachment.

Or..how about I sleep on it some more!

I just read that CPAP came to be in 1981...so in another 50 years...the equipment we are using today will look archaic to future users...and I wondered what advances may come...

sleep deprived thinking, no doubt!

[klockemy]

Well, look how far we have come since 1981.....

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/austral ... /idea.html

[SleepyT]

Unbelievable! We HAVE come a long way! Thanks for finding that picture. Puts it in perspective.

[jdm2857]

I keep wondering why there isn't some sort of implantable stent that can hold the airway open.

[klockemy]

I keep wondering why there isn't some sort of implantable stent that can hold the airway open.

So you can still swallow.

[ricochetv1]

I posted this pic in another thread, but it fits very well here...
The future of OSA treatment!!!

[drj130]

I'd rather have the machine from '81 than the shoehorn shoved down my throat. And I don't even have my machine yet. Only 2 things go down my throat, air and fuel. lol

[timbalionguy]

Well, look how far we have come since 1981.....

http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/austral ... /idea.html

Wow, we have come a long ways. Looks to be between a 1/3 and 1/2 HP motor. I bet leaks were not an issue with that beast!

I doubt the idea of a motor in noseplugs would be realizable. Too much power is needed to make the kind of pressure needed for practical CPAP therapy. This power would have to come in by wires. The amount of heat generated by any practical motor, plus the heat that results from compressing air would be too much for such a small space....physics limits apply here. I like the idea of some sort of automatically adjustable stent, perhaps one that adjusts under hydraulic or pneumatic control. Or perhaps by then, there will be a workable reconstructive surgery.

[roster]

I keep wondering why there isn't some sort of implantable stent that can hold the airway open.

There are a couple of them:

1. Pillar procedure http://www.restoremedical.com/For-Physicians/



2. Aspire anchor and tether



http://www.aspiremedical.com/tech_us.html#

[ricochetv1]

What's ironic is by the time all the FDA tests are done and insurance companies are FINALLY willing to pay their 80% for the tether procedure, we'll have nanobots that physically hold up the tongue and keep the soft pallette from vibrating.
Essentially, they'd ban together into some sort of latticework that would act as a retainer and keep the slackened muscles and tissue from blocking the airway. The only bad is you might have a bit of a metallic taste in the mouth in the morning, but that, I imagine, would be something one could get used to.
So, they go form this shell inside your throat at night, then in the morning you have a device that calls them home, so they disengage from each other, thus removing the shell, crawl out of your mouth and back into their container.