Reduced Apnea-Hypopnea Index in Patients with Severe Sleep Apnea Syndrome as Determined by Cervical Collar and Mandibular Advancement Device Combination Therapy

Study Objectives: In patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is first-line therapy. Compliance to CPAP is sometimes a problem, and mandibular advancement device (MAD) is then an alternative. However, this alternative is often not effective. It was hypothesized that patients suffering from OSAS would have a freer airway, resulting in a decreased apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), through use of a cervical collar (CC) to extend the neck. To study the effect of this new therapy, a randomized crossover study was conducted to compare MAD monotherapy with CC/MAD combination therapy. Methods: Eight patients with severe OSAS (AHI>30) who had ceased to use CPAP were enrolled in the randomized crossover study. Four patients started with MAD and four with CC/MAD for one week followed by a wash-out period and then cross-over. Polygraphic sleep recordings were performed at baseline and after each therapy. Results: The baseline AHI was 51.5 ± 22.5. AHI was reduced to 30.4 ± 23.2 through MAD monotherapy, and to 14.9 ± 10.2 through CC/MAD combination therapy. The effect of the combination therapy was statistically significantly (p=0.018) better than that of the monotherapy. Four patients were achieved an AHI<10/h through use of the combination therapy. Concusions: The study showed a significant reduction in AHI scores in patients with severe OSAS through use of the CC/MAD combination therapy as compared to the MAD monotherapy. This first report indicates a new possibility for treating severe OSAS in non-compliant CPAP users.