Patient Powered Device for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder in which throat muscles relax during sleep, causing the upper airway to close. As a result, breathing ceases until a brief awakening restores the muscle tone and reopens the airway. Untreated sleep apnea contributes to cognitive, cardiovascular, and metabolic morbidity and has substantial negative impact on an individual’s quality of life. Treatment most commonly consists of nightly use of a nasal mask connected to a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. The CPAP machine splints the upper airway open by supplying positive air pressure. However, the machine is expensive, requires electricity, and has suboptimal portability, noise, and aesthetics. The aim of this work was to develop a low-cost, lightweight, quiet, and mechanical CPAP machine that would function without an external energy source in resource-limited settings.