Mechanisms of Pharyngeal Collapse in Sleep Apnea, Study B

February 23, 2022 updated by: David Andrew Wellman, Brigham and Women's Hospital
In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the upper airway recurrently closes during sleep. The mechanisms that lead to airway closure are not completely understood. Some studies have shown that there is progressive narrowing of the pharyngeal airway across breaths during expiration (Progressive Expiratory Narrowing, PEN) preceding an obstructive apnea. The cause of PEN is unknown. The investigators will test if lung volumes and low respiratory drive play a role in PEN.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The mechanisms that lead to airway closure in OSA are not completely understood. Some studies have shown that there is progressive narrowing of the pharyngeal airway across breaths during expiration (Progressive Expiratory Narrowing, PEN) preceding an obstructive apnea.

The investigators will test if lung volumes and low respiratory drive play a role in PEN. To this end, the investigators will visualize the pharynx of sleep apnea patients during sleep using a thin endoscope during sleep while simultaneously measuring lung volumes, genioglossus electromyogram, and pharyngeal pressure during flow-limited breaths. Flow limitation will be induced by sustained reductions of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

40

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Brigham and Women's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Normal subjects or patients with OSA

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Any unstable cardiac condition (other than well controlled hypertension) or pulmonary problems.
  • Any medication known to influence breathing, sleep/arousal or muscle physiology
  • Concurrent sleep disorders (insomnia, narcolepsy, central sleep apnea or parasomnia)
  • Claustrophobia
  • Inability to sleep supine
  • Allergy to lidocaine or oxymetazoline hydroclhoride
  • For women: Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Induction of flow limitation
Flow limitation will be induced by sustained reductions in continuous positive airway pressure during sleep

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Difference in peak inspiratory flow
Time Frame: 3 minutes

Measured peak inspiratory flow will be compared to predicted peak inspiratory flow during flow restricted breaths.

The time frame for the outcome will be the duration of induced flow limitation (3 minutes each) . Flow limitation will be induced several times during the night. Flow limited breaths will be averaged.

3 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: David A Wellman, MD, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

December 8, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 14, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 28, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

November 30, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 9, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 23, 2022

Last Verified

February 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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