Dynamic behaviour of the soft palate during nasal positive pressure ventilation under anaesthesia and paralysis: comparison between patients with and without obstructive sleep-disordered breathing

摘要

Background: Difficult mask ventilation is common and is known to be associated with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). It is our hypothesis that the incidence of expiratory retropalatal (RP) airway closure (primary outcome) during nasal positive pressure ventilation (PPV) is more frequent in patients with SDB (apnea hypopnea index = 5 h(-1)) than non-SDB subjects.