Somers - Figure 5
CPAP
FIG. 5: There are several ways to treat obstructive apnea. One is to have the patient lie on his or her side, because this stops the gravitational force pulling back on the tongue. This approach is partially effective; another approach uses a mandibular device, which holds the lower jaw forward and prevents it from falling back. However at present one of the most commonly used methods is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP); Figure 5 is a schematic of a CPAP device generating a positive pressure, which has the effect of splinting the airway open during inspiration.[1]
Somers V. Chest 2016:00.
References
[1]
Hahn PY, Somers VK. Sleep apnea and hypertension. In: Lip GYH, Hall JE, eds. Comprehensive hypertension. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby Elsevier; 2007: 939–946.
