The Spanish Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (SEOR – CCC) has recognized the research work developed in 2020 by specialists from the Services of Otorhinolaryngology and Pneumology of hospitals Quironsalud Marbella and Gibraltar Field awarding them the national award to best clinical work of the specialty.
The recognition has been announced at the 72nd edition of the SEOR-CCC annual congress, which brings together prominent professionals in the specialty at each appointment. The award, also endowed with an economic benefit, praises the work of scientific dissemination developed by the team of specialists from Quironsalud Marbella and Gibraltar Field to present the results obtained in an innovative multidisciplinary research focused on patients with the most severe degree of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea (OSAHS). Under the title, ‘Myofunctional Therapy App for Severe Apnea – HypopneaSleep Obstructive Syndrome: Pilot Randomized ControlledTrial’, the article was published in the prestigious North American journal ‘JMIR mHealth & uHealth’ and it included the conclusions of the clinical trial.
“The publication has stood out this year for being the written work of scientific dissemination of Otorhinolaryngology that has been published in the journal with the greatest impact according to the science citation index (SCI) during the year 2020”, stressed the doctor Carlos O’Connor Reina, co-director of the Otorhinolaryngology services of the hospitals Quironsalud Marbella and Gibraltar Field.
For his part, the Head of the Pneumology Service, Dr. Jose Maria Ignacio Garcia stressed that “this recognition is an added boost to our daily work and allows the data demonstrated in our research to reach a greater number of professionals who work every day in the field of apnea and as well as patients who suffer from it” .
The article, now a national award, focused on evaluate the App developed to improve sleep apnea, AirwayGym, promoted by four specialists from the Otorhinolaryngology and Pulmonology services. The clinical trial focused on the evolution of 28 patients with the most severe degree of apnea. As recounted in the article by the doctor O’Connor Queen, “All patients showed significant improvements. The number of episodes of apnea / hypopnea per hour of sleep (AHI) decreased by 53%, which is an excellent result ”. The uniqueness of the Airway Gym is that it is designed to treat the root cause of the apnea rather than focus on snoring diagnosis like most of the existing mobile apps today.
What is sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a serious health problem around the world and is associated with diseases such as hypertension, arrhythmia and cerebrovascular diseases. The classic treatment of this syndrome is based on dietary measures, weight loss and exercise, and the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Other options include upper airway surgery, mandibular advancement devices, and upper airway stimulation devices (UASD) that bring the tongue forward to prevent it from falling backward and collapsing the airway.