In-home evaluation of efficacy and titration of a mandibular advancement device for obstructive sleep apnea

There is increasing evidence that mandibular advancement devices (MADs) can be an effective treatment for some patients with obstructive sleep apnea, a highly prevalent chronic disease. In this study, the objectives were to objectively assess the effectiveness of MAD therapy using a limited channel recorder, and to develop a model for identifying patients who may be appropriate for MAD therapy as the initial treatment option. Thirty patients were prospectively recruited and studied at two independent dentist offices and the participants’ homes. Subjects wore the ARES Unicorder for two nights before insertion of the MAD, and again when the dentist determined that the patient had reached the titration endpoint. Self-reported measures of depression, sleepiness, and quality of life were obtained pre- and posttreatment. The reviewer was blinded to the study status while the physiological signals were being visually inspected. Significant reductions in the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI), hypoxemia measures, and snoring level were observed posttreatment. Twenty-seven of the 30 (90%) patients had a posttreatment AHI (using a 4% desaturation for hypopneas) below a clinical cut-off of 10. All but one patient (97%) exhibited at least a 50% decrease in AHI or had a posttreatment AHI ≤ 10. Significant differences in body mass index, weight, and neck circumference in patients with posttreatment AHIs above and below a clinical cut-off of five were identified. The linear regression used to predict the posttreatment AHI using pretreatment data resulted in an R2 of 0.68. The model correctly predicted two patients who were unable to obtain a posttreatment AHI of 10 or less. This study was designed to demonstrate two models of collaboration between a dental sleep medicine specialist and a sleep medicine physician in the monitoring of a patient treated with a MAD. The outcome data suggest that the limited channel recording system can be used as an alternative to laboratory polysomnography to reduce the cost of MAD treatment, and to improve the quality and consistency of posttreatment patient care

Comparison of EMG power during sleep from the submental and frontalis muscles

Daniel J Levendowski,1 Erik K St. Louis,2 Luigi Ferini Strambi,3 Andrea Galbiati,3 Philip Westbrook,1 Chris Berka1 1Advanced Brain Monitoring, Carlsbad, CA,USA; 2Center for Sleep Medicine, Departments of Neurology and Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, MN, USA; 3Department of Clinical Neurosciences, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Sleep Disorders Center Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy Objective: Submentalis electromyography (sEMG) and frontalis electromyography (fEMG) muscle activities have been used to assist in the staging of sleep and detection of disruptions in sleep. This study was designed to assess the concordance between sEMG and fEMG power, by and across sleep stages. Methods: Forty-three records with simultaneous acquisition of differential signals from the submental and frontalis muscles were evaluated. Sleep stages were assigned using the polysomnography signals based on majority agreement of five technicians. The sEMG and fEMG signals were identically filtered and aligned prior to cross-correlation analysis. Results: A strong concordance between sEMG and fEMG power was observed, with 95% of the records exhibiting at least moderate agreement. During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, sEMG power was significantly less than fEMG power, but exhibited four times greater across-subject variability. fEMG power during wake and non-REM (NREM) sleep was greater than sEMG power, but with 50% less variability. Differences in wake and N1 mean power and between the other sleep stages were more distinct in the fEMG recordings. Relative changes in sEMG and fEMG power across wake, NREM, and REM stages were essentially ­identical with median by-subject cross correlations of 0.98 and interquartile ranges of 0.97 and 0.99, respectively. Conclusion: The fEMG and sEMG power values were similar during wakefulness and sleep; however, the frontalis exhibits substantially less between-subject variability. This study established face validity for the use of fEMG in the detection of wake and stages of sleep, and for future applications toward assessment of quantitative REM sleep muscle activity in REM sleep behavior disorder. Keywords: EMG, frontalis, submentalis, sleep stage, REM sleep without atoni