Sleep Apnea

Central Apnea Treatments, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Breathing Devices

Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by admin.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a breathing system that has been used successfully to treat obstructive sleep apnea. It was devised in 1981 by Sullivan and his group at the University of Sydney Medical School in Australia.
A few patients with central apnea have been tried on CPAP with some success. Some patients who appear [...]

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Central Apnea Treatments, Mechanical Ventilators Breathing Devices

Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by admin.

Several forms of mechanical breathing systems can be used to assist breathing during sleep by people with central apnea. These devices operate either by “positive pressure” (forcing air into the lungs in a rhythmic, breathing-like pattern) or by “negative pressure” (more or less mimicking the actions of the breathing muscles).
Positive-pressure ventilators operate by rhythmically pushing [...]

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Central Apnea Treatments, Diaphragmatic Pacemaker Breathing Devices

Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by admin.

A diaphragmatic pacemaker works very much like a heart pacemaker. It uses tiny, rhythmic pulses of electric current to stimulate rhythmic muscle contractions. Diaphragmatic pacemakers were first developed to treat polio patients whose breathing reflexes were damaged. However, the devices were never used much for this purpose because “iron lungs” were developed and the availability [...]

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