Successful treatment of a patient who slept sitting up for 7 consecutive months due to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Previously, patient T was admitted to Military Hospital 175 in a state of frequent fatigue, daytime sleepiness, and inability to lie down due to difficulty breathing, with a severe decline in quality of life. The patient had been examined at many hospitals and had many different tests performed, but the cause could not be diagnosed. Therefore, he was diagnosed and treated for many other diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Bronchial Asthma; Pulmonary Fibrosis, etc., but the symptoms did not improve and became increasingly severe.

According to Lieutenant, Doctor Nguyen Cong Truong - Department of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Military Hospital 175 - who directly treated patient T, after being admitted to the hospital, through careful examination and consultation with the department, it was suspected that the patient had obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. After that, the patient was consulted by a specialist and performed a polysomnography technique. The results confirmed the diagnosis of severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, with a high sleep apnea index. The patient was treated with non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and responded well. Currently, after treatment, the patient can lie in a normal position, sleep better, has significantly improved quality of life and was discharged from the hospital.

According to Dr. Nguyen Hai Cong, Head of the Department of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases - Military Hospital 175: "The CPAP ventilator helps create a positive pressure air flow, continuously blowing into the respiratory tract. The air pressure helps support the muscles of the throat and respiratory tract, preventing the muscles from collapsing. Therefore, the patient's airway is always open and ensures that the breathing process is not obstructed. The machine will be connected to the patient by a nasal probe, nasal cannula or mask. Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea occur mainly during sleep, so the patient only uses the support machine when going to sleep."

Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common sleep-related respiratory disorder, characterized by episodes of apnea, hypopnea, and awakening associated with respiratory effort due to partial or complete closure of the upper airway during sleep. In Vietnam, there are no statistics, but worldwide , this disease occurs in 15% of men and about 5% of women. High-risk subjects for this syndrome include men, old age, obesity, neck circumference over 40cm, large and thick tongue, etc. According to a study, moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea occurs in 63% of overweight men. The main symptoms of this syndrome are excessive daytime sleepiness, headaches, snoring, or manifestations of apnea, hypopnea, choking, and gasping during sleep observed by a roommate.

Doctors recommend that obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is a relatively new disease in Vietnam. If not diagnosed early and treated properly, it will increase the risk of serious cardiovascular disorders such as resistant hypertension, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease, pulmonary hypertension, right heart failure, stroke, and increased insulin resistance in patients with type 2 diabetes. In particular, patients feel tired all the time, have reduced concentration and reduced work efficiency. At the same time, there is also a potential risk of traffic accidents while driving and occupational accidents. Therefore, when patients have risk factors and suspicious symptoms such as being overweight, snoring, reduced ability to concentrate during the day, frequent drowsiness, etc., they should immediately go to reputable medical facilities for examination and polysomnography to help diagnose and treat early to minimize serious complications or related accidents.

Military Hospital 175 is one of the leading medical facilities in training, implementing diagnosis and treatment of sleep medicine diseases. With a team of excellent doctors, who have been trained in sleep medicine in Japan, meeting high professional quality in diagnosis and treatment, the hospital is a reliable address for examination, consultation and treatment of sleep medicine diseases, including obstructive sleep apnea syndrome./.

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