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Sleep apnea syndrome — An alternative treatment to tracheostomy
Author(s) -
Afzelius LarsErik,
Elmqvist Dan,
Hougaard Kjeld,
Laurin Sven,
Nilsson Bengt,
Risberg Ann Marie
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-198102000-00018
Subject(s) - medicine , tracheotomy , anesthesia , pharynx , airway obstruction , airway , obstructive sleep apnea , sleep apnea , apnea , intubation , tongue , sleep (system call) , surgery , pathology , computer science , operating system
Two patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome had polygraphic recordings demonstrating upper airway obstruction and sleep with extremely short sleep latency, severely disturbed nightsleep resulting in sleep deprivation, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Radiological investigation showed the upper airway obstruction to be caused by the tongue falling back occluding the pharynx. Nasopharyngeal intubation relieved the symptoms. The patients were trained to perform this treatment themselves every night, demonstrating that this treatment is an attractive alternative to the conventional tracheotomy.