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Oropharyngeal (mouth, tongue and throat) exercises to treat obstructive sleep apnea (a condition where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, interrupting normal breathing)

Not Applicable
Conditions
Patients with obstructive sleep apnea who are unable or unwilling to tolerate CPAP
Nervous System Diseases
Registration Number
ISRCTN13141364
Lead Sponsor
Sunnybrook Health Science Centre
Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
Ongoing
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
45
Inclusion Criteria

1. With OSA (defined as an apnea-hypopnea index =10/h) in whom >50% of the respiratory events are obstructive in nature
2. Unwilling to use CPAP or have been unable to tolerate CPAP after at least a 2-week trial
3. Not using an equipment-based treatment modality (e.g. PAP therapy, a dental appliance, or hypoglossal nerve stimulation) or surgery to manage their OSA

Exclusion Criteria

1. Planned airway surgery, use of CPAP, a dental appliance, or other equipment-based treatment modality to manage OSA during the course of the study
2. Central respiratory events account for =50% of the overall apnea-hypopnea index
3. Reduced cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA] <18)
4. Any significant neurological condition that could impact oropharyngeal activity
5. Use of medications that may impact the tone of the upper airway (e.g. hypnotics, opiates) =3 nights per week during the 4 weeks prior to randomization
6. Use of a medical device that would interfere with the use of the home sleep apnea test
7. Plans to move to another city during the study that would impact compliance. As it would be unethical to withhold CPAP therapy (current first-line therapy for moderate to severe OSA), we will only be recruiting patients who are unwilling to use CPAP therapy or those who are unable to tolerate CPAP after at least a 2-week trial

Study & Design

Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Not specified
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
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