Evaluation of Continuous Negative External Pressure (cNEP) for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Pilot Study
- S-Med
- May 28
- 1 min read
This pilot study suggests that cNEP is effective at reducing AHI during an in-laboratory titration PSG. Most subjects (60%) exhibited an excellent response to cNEP (AHI < 5 events/h whereas 27% had a partial response (AHI < 50% of baseline and < 15 events/h). These findings are particularly noteworthy in this population with a mean baseline AHI of 43.9 events/h and mean BMI of 34.8 kg/m2.
Adverse events related to cNEP occurred in a small number of subjects. These appeared to be related to contact pressure between the collar and underlying skin. It is expected that such events will be reduced by future improvements in cNEP collar
design.
This first pilot study, which was meant to determine if there was evidence that cNEP might be effective in the treatment of OSA, has a number of limitations: The sample size was quite small. So that we could evaluate the effects of a full range of negative pressures in each subject, it was not possible to maintain a given pressure for more than 30 minutes, nor was it possible to determine any relationship between cNEP and body
position or sleep stage. Although it could be that the lack of a CPAP washout period may have biased the results, it is unlikely to have accounted for the magnitude of AHI decline we observed. Unfortunately, given the nature of the cNEP collar, a sham control was not feasible, because without applied vacuum, the collar will not remain adherent to the neck.
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