Abstract
Introduction: Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) provides neuromuscular tone to the pharyngeal dilator muscles of the upper airway (UA) while asleep, but feasibility of this method to treat obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) throughout the whole night has not been tested.
Patients&Methods: We conducted a sham-controlled, randomised and controlled cross-over trial using TES of the UA muscles in 36 patients with confirmed OSA to assess patients' acceptance of the method and the potential side effect profile. Patients were studied using polysomnography during randomly assigned nights of sham-stimulation and active treatment following titration of the stimulation while awake. Assessment of patients' acceptance and experience of side effects was measured using a visual analogue scale (0-10 points). Data were compared using the Wilcoxon test.
Results: None of the patients reported skin discomfort, unpleasant tongue sensations or morning headache (p=n.s.). There was no difference in patients' perceived sleep quality (p=n.s.), but patients reported a 30% reduction in mouth dryness following the night of active treatment (p=0.007). The total sleep time was not different between the treatment arms (p=n.s.). During the trial, there were no severe adverse events.
Conclusion: TES of the UA dilator muscles in OSA can be delivered throughout the night with few side effects and does not lead to arousal from sleep, if appropriately titrated.
- Copyright ©the authors 2016
