Physiological Study of the Critical Closing Airway Pressure in a Population of Didgeridoo Players

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Sleep Apnea Syndromes
• Interventions: Other: Measurement of critical airway closing pressure; Other: Respiratory function tests; Other: pharyngometry

• Registration Number: NCT05606653
• Lead Sponsor: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Brief Summary

Obstructive sleep apnea is characterised by an abnormal upper airway collapsibility. Upper airway collapsibility can be evaluated through critical closure airway pressure (Pcrit). Didgeridoo is a traditional australian musical instrument involving circular respiration, a breathing technique involving mouth muscles. We hypothesize that didgeridoo players have a lower risk of airway collapsibility due to circular breathing technique

Detailed Description

Some studies have shown the benefit of playing the didgeridoo, a wind musical instrument of Aboriginal origin, on the risk of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and on OSAHS itself. Thus, didgeridoo players are less at risk of OSAHS and the practice of this instrument reduces the severity of this syndrome. To date, there are very few studies on the physiological mechanisms involved in the practice of the didgeridoo to explain this reduction in risk and impact on OSAHS.

The rare studies carried out show a great participation of the dilator muscles of the pharynx. We can also note that the didgeridoo is practiced with a particular breathing technique allowing air to be expelled while inhaling. This technique is called circular breathing. This breathing is acquired by working on the control of these dilator muscles of the pharynx but also by becoming aware of its ventilatory needs. Thus it is for the players to learn to breathe according to the needs without disturbing the piece. This respiratory learning, ventilation modulation, not explored until now, could influence the sensitivity of the central and peripheral chemoreceptors of the player with respect to his pCO2 and his pO2. We know the role of this sensitivity in the pathophysiology of SAS.

In this work we therefore seek to highlight a benefit to the practice of the didgeridoo on the critical pressure of pharyngeal closure involving the dilator muscles of the pharynx but also a benefit in terms of gas exchange by analyzing the slope of response to CO2 .

We will compare the effect of using the didgeridoo with that of another wind instrument, the oboe, on these respiratory parameters.

We chose this instrument because a study showed a lower risk of SAS in a population of oboe players. However, in the practice of this instrument, circular breathing is not used.

It would therefore be a comparative observational study with the recruitment of three groups of subjects in order to:

* Compare didgeridoo players with subjects not playing a wind instrument;

* Compare didgeridoo players with players of another wind instrument. There is no fixed reference value for Pcrit in healthy subjects, partly due to the heterogeneity of VAS collapsibility in healthy subjects (Pcrit is between -5 and -25 cm d water according to the studies), and on the other hand the wide variety of measurement methods. It is therefore necessary to have control groups.

Given the epidemiology of obstructive SAS and the exploratory nature of this study, we decided to include only male subjects, which will also make it possible to eliminate the effects of sex on respiratory chemosensitivity. Similarly, given the epidemiology of SAS, an age limit of 85 years was introduced in order not to overlook the effects of aging on the collapsibility of the VAS and chemosensitivity.

Finally, subjects will be matched on age (+/- 5 years) and body mass index (BMI, +/- 2.5 kg/m2) as there is a relationship between age/BMI and the collapsibility of the VAS on the one hand, and between age/BMI and the occurrence of SAS on the other hand.

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Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2021-09-16
• Study First Submitted: 2022-10-31
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-10-31
• Study First Posted: 2022-11-07
• Primary Completion: 2023-07-07
• Study Completion: 2024-01-16
• Status Verified: 2024-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-03-19
• Last Update Posted: 2024-03-20

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: Male
• Target Recruitment: 41

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
didgeridoo players	Measurement of critical airway closing pressure	subjects having a regular practice of didgeridoo
control	pharyngometry	control subjects without diagnosed SAS, at low risk of SAS on the Berlin questionnaire and the STOP BANG questionnaire
didgeridoo players	Respiratory function tests	subjects having a regular practice of didgeridoo
didgeridoo players	pharyngometry	subjects having a regular practice of didgeridoo
oboe players	Measurement of critical airway closing pressure	subjects having a regular practice of the oboe
oboe players	pharyngometry	subjects having a regular practice of the oboe
oboe players	Respiratory function tests	subjects having a regular practice of the oboe
control	Respiratory function tests	control subjects without diagnosed SAS, at low risk of SAS on the Berlin questionnaire and the STOP BANG questionnaire
control	Measurement of critical airway closing pressure	control subjects without diagnosed SAS, at low risk of SAS on the Berlin questionnaire and the STOP BANG questionnaire

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
values of the critical closing pressure of the VAS (Pcrit) in patients of the "Didgeridoo players" group and the "control" group	one day

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
pharyngeal volume	one day
Value of the slope of response to CO2 in each of the three groups	one day

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Justine Frija; 🇫🇷 Paris, France