Places Available - New Sleep Apnoea Trial

2 Comments6 December 2018 | Kath Hope

"My Progress So far in this Fascinating Trial".....

Image Credit Dr Esther Schwarz

I recently took part in a trial at St Thomas' Hospital in London to study the mechanisms responsible for the development of obstructive sleep apnoea.

I was told by Dr Esther Schwarz, who is running the trial, that I might find some of the tests challenging but in fact I found them both enjoyable and fascinating. Esther made the whole experience fun and I was able to get a satisfactory night’s sleep on both occasions I stayed overnight in hospital.

The benefit for participants is that they receive a detailed and full review of the current severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and also of the efficacy of their CPAP treatment because they have a full polysomnography both on and off CPAP. A polysomnography is the most detailed sleep study, and in fact is the gold standard for the diagnosis of sleep apnoea according to international guidelines. In addition, participants have a nocturnal oximetry at home each night during the two weeks which will provide a much clearer picture of the true Obstructive Sleep Apnoea severity over two weeks - since we know that severity varies from night to night.

Additional clinically relevant tests are the lung function test, respiratory muscle strength tests (function of the diaphragm) and an option for those that want arterial blood gas analysis to assess the gas exchange capacity of the lungs.

What was particularly fascinating for me was that the initial test results seem to suggest that I may not have sleep apnoea now! I’ll need to wait for confirmation (or not) because all the information gathered takes 2 full days to be analysed.

I would encourage anyone who is interested to seriously consider taking part by contacting Dr Esther Schwarz or Professor Joerg Steier.

I understand that for some, especially those with severe sleep apnoea, going for up to 2 weeks without using a CPAP machine will itself be challenging, but in return you’ll get unique and very valuable insights into your condition whilst also making a contribution to this important area of medical research.

Geoff Weston, Sleep Apnoea Patient

Tessa Lane

17 December 2018 | 20:06

I am interested in taking part in the sleep trial but the link to Ester Schwarz doesn't work and when I tried to email her the email address was not recognised.

Kath Hope

18 December 2018 | 0:45

I'm not sure why the link isn't working for you Tessa as it's working at this end. However, here are both email addresses for you to copy and paste to send y our query to Dr Esther Schwarz or Prof Steier:-
Esther.Schwarz@gstt.nhs.uk or Joerg.Steier@gstt.nhs.uk

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