Month: July 2010
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Blue Uvula in OSA
The roof of the mouth is divided into two sections – the hard palate at the front and the soft palate at the back. The uvula hangs from the middle of the soft palate and lies a short distance above the back of the tongue. It is only a vestigial organ. The uvula (pronounced is…
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20 Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
An apnea is a period of time during which breathing stops or is markedly reduced. In simplified terms, an apnea occurs when a person stops breathing for 10 seconds or more. If you stop breathing completely or take less than 25% of a normal breath for a period that lasts 10 seconds or more, this…
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OSA Surgery and Mallampati Score
The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by upper airway obstruction leading to hypoventilation, apnea and sleep fragmentation. A patient being evaluated for OSA should be assessed for surgically correctable causes of OSA. Patients without the typical risk factors, such as obesity, should raise a clinical suspicion of abnormal anatomy as a cause of…