Reducing upper airway collapse at lower continuous positive airway titration pressure

During respiration, upper airway (UA) collapse occurs when the forces generated from the negative UA pressures exceed the forces produced by the UA muscles; which leads to loose soft tissue at the back of the mouth. At predetermined titration pressure, the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) normally provides a continuous pressurized and humidified air to prevent airway collapse. However, high titration pressures are not always tolerated by patients and may lead to damaging effects including stroke symptoms for cardiovascular disease patients. This paper hypothesizes that superimposed pressure oscillation can modulate the loose tissue and allow unblocking the upper airway passages to help reduce the required titration pressure. Using MRI scans, this paper investigates the effects of using pressure oscillations superimposed on the CPAP to keep the airway open at lower pressure distributions inside the upper airway and consequently increase the patients' comfort and reduce their rejection to the CPAP.