Cervical Collar for Patients With Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea

The definition of AHI is the sum of apneas and hypopneas divided by registration/sleep time. Se below description of Apnea and Hypopnea. According to the international classification of sleep disorders, mild Obstructive Sleep Apnae (OSA) is defined as AHI between 5-15, moderate as AHI between 15-30 and severe sleep apnea as AHI > 30.

Apnea is defined as a respiratory arrest during sleep which means more than 90% decrease in respiratory airflow lasting more than 10 seconds with preserved respiratory movement in the thoracic or abdominal wall. This variable is recorded by Nocturnal Respiratory Registration (NRR).

Hypopnea is defined as partial respiratory disturbance during sleep which means a more than 50% decrease in nasal air pressure signal from baseline lasting more than 10. This variable is recorded by Nocturnal Respiratory Registration (NRR).

Sleeping in the supine position is increased risk factor that contribute to development of OSA. This variable is recorded by Nocturnal Respiratory Registration (NRR).

OSA cause decrease of oxygen saturation in blood. This variable is recorded by pulse oximeter. Normal pulse oximeter readings usually range from 95 to 100 percent.

A number of desaturations more than 3% from baseline during sleep divided by number of sleeping hours.This variable is recorded by pulse oximeter.

It is important för assessing the difference between treatment methods. This variable is recorded by pulse oximeter.

It is important for assessing the difference between treatment methods. This variable is recorded by NRR.

It is important for assessing the difference between treatment methods. This variable is recorded by NRR.

Short Form Health Survey (SF36) taps eight health concepts: physical functioning, bodily pain, role limitations due to physical health problems, role limitations due to personal or emotional problems, emotional well-being, social functioning, energy/fatigue, and general health perceptions. Scoring is a two-step process. First, precoded numeric values are recorded per the scoring key given in Table 1. All items are scored so that a high score defines a more favorable health state. Each item is scored on a 0 to 100 range so that the lowest and highest possible scores are 0 and 100, respectively. Scores represent the percentage of total possible score achieved. In step 2, items in the same scale are averaged together to create the 8 scale scores. Table 2 lists the items averaged together to create each scale. Hence, scale scores represent the average for all items in the scale that the respondent answered.

Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire (BNSQ) consists of 27 items in 21 different questions and queries a wide range of sleep complaints, including difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep, subjective sleep quality, the use of medication to induce sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, napping, snoring, and general sleep habits.Sleepiness scores range from 4 to 20 points, insomnia scores from 7 to 35, the higher scores indicating more problems with sleepiness or insomnia.

Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) measures a respondent's general level of daytime sleepiness, or their average sleep propensity in daily life.It is a self-administered questionnaire with 8 questions. Respondents are asked to rate, on a 4-point scale (0-3), their usual chances of dozing off or falling asleep while engaged in eight different activities. The ESS score (the sum of 8 item scores, 0-3) can range from 0 to 24. The higher the ESS score, the higher that person's average sleep propensity in daily life.

It is important for assessing the patient's perception of treatment with CC. This variable is only recorded in experimental arm. There are three simple questions that respondent's should answer:

"How do you experience treatment in general?" (range very good - very bad), "Do you want to continue with the treatment?" ( yes or no) and "Own comments about the treatment".