Patient discomfort in polysomnography with esophageal pressure measurements.

The reference method for measuring respiratory effort and for differentiating between obstructive and central apneas in the diagnosis of sleep-related breathing disorders is overnight monitoring of esophageal pressure. Despite this being the reference method, it is not widely used because it is considered invasive and uncomfortable for the patients. The aim of this study was to assess patient discomfort and insertion difficulty when using an esophageal catheter during polysomnography.

Pulseoximetry: sufficient to diagnose severe sleep apnea.

Objectives: To assess the clinical value of pulseoximetry in the diagnosis of sleep apnea when satisfactory agreement with polysomnography is obtained.

Methods: This was a prospective clinical study, set in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ullevaal University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. One hundred consecutive patients were investigated for sleep related breathing disorders.

Oral breathing in patients with sleep-related breathing disorders.

Mouth breathing may contribute to increased collapsibility of the upper airways because of decreased contractile efficiency of the upper airway muscles as a result of mouth opening. Nasal airflow is also hypothesized to have a stimulating effect on the respiratory drive via receptors in the nose. Accordingly, patients with sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) are believed to breathe more through their mouth than healthy persons.