Tongue position controller as an alternative treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea

睡眠相关的上呼吸道肌肉活动减少导致舌头塌陷，导致阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停(OSA)。我们假设，如果通过使用新开发的舌位控制器(TPC)在睡眠期间保持清醒的舌位，OSA可以得到缓解。TPC采用了闭环系统，舌头由定制的舌头定位器固定，并持续施加负压，改善了OSA的严重程度和主观嗜睡。这种方法为OSA的治疗提供了一种潜在的替代方案，而不需要应用正压和下颌/舌头前移。

The sleep-related reduction in upper airway muscle activity precipitates tongue collapse and leads to Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). We hypothesize that OSA could be alleviated if the awake tongue position is maintained during sleep through the use of a newly-developed tongue position controller (TPC). The TPC, which incorporates a closed-loop system where the tongue is held by a custom-made tongue positioner together with continuously-applied negative pressure, improves the severity of OSA and subjective sleepiness. This approach offers a potential alternative for OSA treatment without the application of positive airway pressure and mandibular/tongue advancement.