The Tongue Muscle Training (ZMT®) in nCPAP Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS)

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome is treated not only with the help of nCPAP but by other means which help to support the sufficient level of pharyngeal airways. In course of our experiment we investigated changes in parameters of breath during night sleep in patients with high indices of obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome after the tongue muscle training. 40 patients with OSAS treated only with the help of nCPAP underwent a 5-week course of electrical stimulation of upper pharyngeal muscles. This type of treatment was supposed to result in dilatation of pharyngeal airways and cure of occlusion and obstruction. Parameters of breath during the night sleep before- and after the treatment were detected with the help of somno-poligraphic investigations and compared. Indices of apnea and hypopnea decreased in 26 of 40 patients, which is more than half of the probands. We recommended the patients with a diagnosed OSAS without a risk of recurrence to add tongue muscle training to nCPAP. In case the course of nCPAP therapy is launched it helped achieve sufficient improvement of parameters affecting breath during the night sleep and in many cases decrease respiratory pressure of nCPAP therapy or its complete cessation .

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