THE PHARYNGEAL AIRWAY IS A complicated structure combining soft tissue and boney elements that make it prone to collapse when neuromuscular activity wanes during sleep. Anatomic structures form a pliable conduit capable of changing airway patency dynamically to support its respiratory, alimentary, and vocal functions. Respiratory function is supported by active neuromuscular and passive structu...

In a group of 37 heavy snorers with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA, Group 1) and a group of 23 heavy snorers without OSA (Group 2) cephalometric indices, ENT indices related to upper airway collapsibility, and nocturnal O2 desaturation indices were related to variables from maximal expiratory and inspiratory flow-volume (MEFV and MIFV) curves. The cephalometric indices used were the length and d...

Oral appliance therapy is emerging as an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, its precise mechanisms of action are yet to be defined. We examined the effect of a mandibular advancement splint (MAS) on upper airway collapsibility during sleep in OSA. Ten patients with proven OSA had a custom-made MAS incrementally adjuste...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS This study aimed to evaluate changes in obstruction site in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients according to sleep position. STUDY DESIGN Prospective case series. METHODS Eighty-five patients who had undergone level 1 sleep study and drug-induced sleep endoscopy in the supine and lateral positions were included. Obstruction sites were classified as soft palate (SP),...

BACKGROUND Among the indices able to replace invasive central venous pressure (CVP) measurement for patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) the diameters of the inferior vena cava (IVC) and their respiratory fluctuations, so-called IVC collapsibility index (IVCCI), measured by echocardiography, have recently gained ground as a quite reliable proxy of CVP. OBJECTIVES The aims of...

BACKGROUND Changes of volume status can be readily inferred from variations in diameter of the inferior vena cava (IVC) measured by ultrasound. However the effect of IVC changes following acute blood loss are not fully established. In this study, three different approaches to measuring IVC variables were compared in healthy blood donors, as a model of acute volume depletion, in order to establi...

Abstract Background Assessing fluid responsiveness is the key to successful resuscitation of critically-ill sepsis patients. The use IVC variation favored among dynamic methods assessment in ICU because it non-invasive and inexpensive; moreover, does not demand a high level training. aim this study determine value respiratory variability for predicting spontaneously breathing patients with acut...

We introduce a notion of strong d-collapsibility. Using this notion, we simplify the proof of Matoušek and the author [4] showing that the nerve of a family of sets of size at most d is d-collapsible.