Treatment of Sleep Apnea
Written by:Sleep apnea is a pathology that affects between one and two million people in Spain, although less than 10% are diagnosed. The symptoms that patients detect in the first place are snoring or daytime fatigue, but it can be accompanied by many other disorders that affect the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular system.. In severe cases it implies a high mortality.
Treatment of sleep apnea with CPAP
The most effective treatment against sleep apnea is the night air insufflation at positive pressure ( CPAP ). It consists in keeping the patient's upper airway open during sleep to avoid obstructions by introducing air with a mechanical device. For this treatment to be fully effective it must be customized. If it is not observed properly, the evolution of the patient may fail in up to 50% of cases.
In Ruberdental we have the first integral and multidisciplinary unit of SAHS (apnea-hypopnea syndrome during sleep) in Madrid and one of the first in Spain. It is composed of pulmonologists, maxillofacial surgeons, dentists and orthodontists.
We provide the full spectrum of treatment, from mandibular advancement devices to surgery. However, special emphasis is placed on the use of CPAP. To ensure the success of the treatment we perform a patient screening and a firm diagnosis using the sleep test to adapt it to each case. We work with the best CPAP equipment in the market, with customizable masks, humidifiers and heated tubes. Personalized monitoring by our staff means that the patient's well-being and therapeutic adherence improve clearly.
Surgical treatment
Those patients who present associated facial anomalies or who do not adapt to the use of CPAP can resort to surgical treatment, which is carried out in two phases following the protocols of the Stanford Unit.. Surgery for sleep apnea is currently very developed, with a resolution of more than 93% in phase II of the treatment, in which the facial skeleton is modified to increase the volume of the upper airway. This indicates that in the right hands sleep apnea has a surgical solution and that the results obtained are completely satisfactory for the patient.
