Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder, characterized by complete or partial airway obstruction and caused by pharyngeal collapse during sleep. The resultant complete cessations of breathing are called apnoeas if their duration is 10 s or more. Hypopnoeas are a result of reduced inspiratory flow when the airway narrows but does not fully collapse (Strollo and Rogers 1996).