Early phase assesment of therapeutic devices and of a new treatment for patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract

The works reported in this thesis have explored different aspects of the non-pharmacologic treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. We believe to have adequately justified the idea that external medical devices devoted to improve the treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea based on positive pressure application should be required to go through a rigorous assessment before being commercialized. This applies to both machines and mask interfaces. We believe to have also shown how a rigorous premarketing assessment of a new type of therapy combining a surgical implantation and a physiologic titration during sleep may contribute to the development of a treatment able to serve those patients unable or unwilling to use the standard therapy for the disease, CPAP.(MED - Sciences médicales) -- UCL, 201