You know, I’ve been skeptical about this therapy ever since I learned how it was discovered. Here is an exerpt from an interview with Colin Sullivan, PhD the inventor:

“Then, one afternoon we were setting up for a nighttime study on a patient with severe OSA who was scheduled for a tracheostomy. He was participating in a series of nightly studies before and after the procedure to measure breathing during sleep. Discussing the issues with me, the patient was eager to know if there was anything else that might work. I suppose I was thinking out loud, looking at the mask and all the tubing sitting around for the experimental procedure, when it occurred to me that putting pressure in the upper airway might just hold it open.

“The patient was keen to give it a try, and so at [3:30 p.m.] we started searching around for equipment that we could use. We had large bore tubing into which we cut holes for nasal prongs to fit into. We then used plenty of Silastic glue to hold the nasal piece in place. Our next problem was sourcing a blower to create an appropriate pressure. We had a blower we used to calibrate the Fleish pneumotach and thought that might work. So, in a couple of hours, the first nasal CPAP device for OSA was born. “

He goes on to discuss fears of “blow[ing] the patient up” I’m not making this up! [Anyone else get gassy and bloated after a 'good night's sleep?]

Maybe I’m just paranoid…

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