Continuous Negative External Pressure as an Alternative Treatment for Sleep Apnea

Photo: AerSleep by Sommetrics. Source: Businesswire.com.

Sleep apnea is one of the most commonly diagnosed sleep disorders in the United States, and, now more than ever, patients are speaking out for it and advocating for the disorder, rather than just being silent and brushing the symptoms aside.

If someone is diagnosed with sleep apnea, doctors will introduce the patient with several treatment options. The three most common treatments are:

• Positive and continuous pressure in the airway (CPAP): CPAP is the most common option and is constituted as the "reference" treatment.
• Automatic positive airway pressure (APAP): This treatment of sleep apnea automatically varies air pressure throughout the night to respond to changes in pressure needs, which may be more comfortable.
• Bi-level treatment: This option is often used when a higher pressure is needed to achieve effective sleep apnea treatment.

Another option is:

• Surgery: It is possible to resort to surgical procedures to treat sleep apnea. However, as in all surgeries, this implies some risks.

There are many options available for the treatment of sleep apnea and the products people use can make a big difference in the comfort people feel during treatment. It is a good idea to ask the doctor or medical equipment provider what the best products are for every single case.

While using a CPAP is considered the most effective method to treat sleep apnea, studies never stop and researchers are constantly looking for new ways to treat the disease and help people have a normal life and increase their life quality as well.

According to the results of a pilot study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine in 15 patients, there may be a new treatment that can be used as an effective alternative to CPAP by creating pressure within a soft silicone collar on the neck, triggering a good response. The name given to this treatment is “Continuous Negative External Pressure (cNEP),” which is still being evaluated.

The product is called AerSleep, which is a soft silicone collar fitted over the neck and attached to an adjustable vacuum pump. AerSleep is a collar that applies negative pressure to alter the spatial relationships of soft tissue structures in the airway to deter structural collapse. This tool can be considered similar to the mechanism behind an iron lung.

According to the lead author of said study, Dr Richard Rose, the main concept of negative external pressure is not a new idea, but this is the first time that it has been found to be applied efficiently to treat sleep apnea. Thanks to this device, it is possible to prevent the airway from collapsing, making it an additional option to treat sleep apnea.