Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with continuous nasal airflow delivered through nasal prongs.

We describe a new device for treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) which is similar to nasal CPAP, but less cumbersome. The device consists of a 7 mm diameter flexible tube terminating at one end in nasal prongs covered with foam cylinders. The foam cylinders are compressed, inserted into the nostrils and released, forming a tight seal. The other end of the catheter is attached to a compressor delivering between 7 and 15 L/min of air. We studied four men and two women with OSA, the first night without treatment and the following night with continuous nasal airflow. A desaturation index was calculated by multiplying the average number of desaturation episodes per hour of sleep times the average maximum desaturation per episode. With continuous nasal airflow there was a significant decrease in all parameters (p less than .025). We conclude that continuous nasal airflow decreased oxyhemoglobin desaturation in patients with OSA and may be useful in patients with mild-to-moderate OSA and in patients who do not tolerate nasal CPAP.