Suratt P M, Wilhoit S C, Cooper K
J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1984 Jul;57(1):140-6. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1984.57.1.140.
To determine whether the pharyngeal airway is abnormal in awake patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), we measured the ability of the pharyngeal airway to resist collapse from subatmospheric pressure applied to the nose in awake subjects, 12 with OSA and 12 controls. Subatmospheric pressure was applied to subjects placed in the supine position through a tightly fitting face mask. We measured airflow at the mask as well as mask, pharyngeal, and esophageal pressures. Ten patients developed airway obstruction when subatmospheric pressures between 17 and 40 cmH2O were applied. Obstruction did not occur in two patients with the least OSA. Obstruction did not occur in 10 controls; one obese control subject developed partial airway obstruction when -52 cmH2O was applied as did another with -41 cmH2O. We conclude that patients with significant OSA have an abnormal airway while they are awake and that application of subatmospheric pressure may be a useful screening test to detect OSA.
为了确定阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）清醒患者的咽部气道是否异常，我们测量了清醒受试者（12例OSA患者和12例对照）咽部气道抵抗因对鼻子施加低于大气压的压力而塌陷的能力。通过紧密贴合的面罩对仰卧位的受试者施加低于大气压的压力。我们测量了面罩处的气流以及面罩、咽部和食管压力。当施加17至40 cmH₂O的低于大气压的压力时，10例患者出现气道阻塞。2例OSA最轻的患者未出现阻塞。10例对照未出现阻塞；1例肥胖对照受试者在施加-52 cmH₂O时出现部分气道阻塞，另1例在施加-41 cmH₂O时也出现了部分气道阻塞。我们得出结论，重度OSA患者在清醒时气道异常，并且施加低于大气压的压力可能是检测OSA的一种有用的筛查试验。
