Expert review of medical devices
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Expert Rev Med Devices · Nov 2005
ReviewMedical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
Obstructive sleep apnea is increasingly being recognized as a serious public health problem, and is characterized by repetitive, complete or partial closure of the upper airway during sleep, resulting in sleep fragmentation and oxygen desaturation. The key symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea are snoring, witnessed apneas, excessive daytime sleepiness and deficits in neurocognitive function, adversely impacting on quality of life. The last 10 years have seen a steady increase in evidence linking obstructive sleep apnea to long-term cardiovascular morbidity, including hypertension, myocardial infarction and stroke, and an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. ⋯ Similarly, on the therapeutic front, advances in continuous positive airway pressure technology have broadened the use of such treatment, although compliance remains an important impediment to widespread treatment of this common disorder. This has prompted a search for simpler treatment alternatives, ranging from surgical, medical and dental therapies, although none have matched the efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure. Advances in our understanding of the neurobiology of sleep and respiration herald the prospect of pharmacologic treatment in the longer term.