A new treatment for snoring and OSA

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common condition that can cause excessive daytime tiredness as well as increasing the risk of blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and road traffic accidents. The mainstay of treatment has been CPAP - a type of mask worn at night or a mandibular advancement splint which is like a gum shield. Both of these work well but patients often find them uncomfortable or cannot use them during the night. 

I have recently published a paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine outlining some research I did when I was in Australia. This paper analyses a modified type of palatal (throat) surgery known as a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty combined with Coblation to the base of the tongue (which is a type of heat energy). The aim of this surgery is to open up the space behind the tongue and behind the palate (dangly bit at the back of the throat) to reduce snoring and OSA.

The results are pretty good - the AHI (which is a measure of severity of OSA) fell from 23.1 to 5.6 which is effectively normal and the Epworth Sleepy Score fell from 10.5 to 5 (anything less than 8 is normal).

Obviously this type of surgery is not for everyone but if you do suffer from OSA or snore then do ask your GP to be referred for an assessment.