Active clinical trials for "Sleep Apnea, Obstructive"

Hypotheses: Postoperative oxygen therapy significantly improves postoperative oxygenation in OSA surgical patients. Postoperative oxygen therapy do not significantly increase the number of apnea episodes and the duration of apnea episodes. Postoperative oxygen therapy do not significantly increase arterial carbon dioxide(CO2) level in OSA surgical patients.

The primary and well-known challenge with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the incomplete adherence of patients to this therapy. Successfully improving CPAP use is likely through emphasizing patient education regarding the risks associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), potential benefits of therapy, teaching techniques to acclimate to CPAP, and providing a system of accountability through a follow-up process. With the changing landscape of healthcare reimbursement which emphasizes achieving positive clinical outcomes, discovering more automated and self-directed methods of educating and follow-up is needed. The investigators plan to investigate the impact of adjunct Web education and automated follow-up on CPAP use and other measurements of patient engagement. The specific aims of this pilot study are as follows: Assess impact of Telemedicine mechanisms on CPAP use 3 months after initiating therapy in comparison to usual standard of care. Assess impact of Telemedicine mechanisms on functional outcomes and parameters of healthcare utilization at 3 months after initiation of therapy in comparison to usual standard of care.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of decreasing fluid overload by hemodialysis on the severity of obstructive sleep apnea, in patients with end stage chronic kidney disease on intermittent hemodialysis. It aims further to investigate the relationship between overhydration, nocturnal rostral fluid shift and the severity of sleep apnea.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of an altitude sojourn on patients with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Nitrogen-oxide (NO) plays an important role for blood pressure regulation, renal hemodynamics, and the renal excretion of sodium. NO is synthesized from L-arginine in the vascular endothelium and have a very short half-life in plasma and is therefore very difficult to measure directly. L-mono-methyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) is an analogue to L-arginine and a competitive inhibitor of NO, and therefore can be used to study the effect of NO on the circulation. In normal subjects, infusion of L-NMMA will cause an increase in blood pressure, decreased renal plasma-flow, decreased glomerular filtration rate, and a decreased excretion of sodium. Hypothesis: Patients with obstructive sleep apnea has a decreased activity in the NO-system. This is contributing to the hypertension often seen in these patients. Decreased activity in the NO-system can be revealed by diminished fall in renal hemodynamic and sodium excretion after infusion of L-NMMA.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of telemonitoring versus standard follow-up on CPAP treatment compliance in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS).

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is characterized by collapse of one or more pharyngeal structures during sleep (velum, tongue base, lateral walls, epiglottis). Structure-specific therapies for OSA have emerged as alternatives to positive airway pressure (PAP). Oral appliance (OA) therapy is increasingly being indicated for OSA treatment, although a complete response occurs in approximately 50% of patients. In general, OA devices are designed to maintain the mandible and/or tongue in a protruded posture during sleep, preventing upper airway obstruction. Limited studies in awake or sedated patients have demonstrated the effects of mandibular advancement on aspects of pharyngeal structure and function. The objective of the proposed research is to fully characterize upper airway collapse in OSA patients during natural sleep and use this information to understand why some patients appear to exhibit a large improvement in pharyngeal collapsibility whereas others do not.

The purpose of this study is to determine how satisfied patients are when undergoing an overnight polysomnogram (sleep study), what their knowledge about sleep apnea is, and what factors affect obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment use.

The purpose of this study is to understand how behaviors and the effects of the body's internal clock (called the circadian pacemaker) affect the control of the heart and blood pressure. People with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are hypothesized to have altered circadian amplitudes in certain key indices of cardiovascular (CV) and an abnormally advanced circadian phase in some of the same key indices of CV risk. The investigators hypothesize that such changes, taken together, may explain the different timing of heart attack and sudden cardiac death in OSA.

To compare a group of patients with our standard treatment of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and another group of patients with CPAP and a humidifier attached. The therapy cost and the successfulness of the treatment will be measured. A humidifier is a water chamber that is currently added to CPAP only if the patients needs it.