Surgery – Body protecting or restraining devices for patients or infants – Antisnoring device
Patent
1992-05-28
1994-05-31
Brown, Michael A.
Surgery
Body protecting or restraining devices for patients or infants
Antisnoring device
128861, A61F 556, A61C 514
Patent
active
053160207
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a snoring prevention device.
Two types of snoring are distinguished, depending on the localization of their origin. The first type of snoring, velar snoring, is produced by the vibration of all the structures of the soft palate, i.e. the velum, the anterior and posterior arches of the tonsils and the uvula. Velar snoring results from a vibration of the soft palate created by the inspiratory flow of air both nasal and oral, which makes the soft palate wave like a flag. The sound intensity of these vibrations is accentuated by the opening of the buccal cavity which acts as a sound box.
The second type, i.e. pharyngeal snoring, is a sort of rale, of rattle, and even horn whistling. It is caused by the partial obstruction of the oropharyngeal isthmus by the base of the tongue with, now and again, its total occlusion by this tongue base becoming jammed against the posterior wall of the pharynx, according to the laws of fluid dynamics, thus causing cessation of breathing (apnoea), which constitutes the sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS). Here obstructive sleep apnoea is involved, as opposed to central sleep apnoea, which has a cerebral origin.
It should be stated that the two types of snoring described above may easily be combined in the same individual.
Snoring, which is always a nuisance for any person nearby, is not inoffensive for the snorer himself, primarily in the case of pharyngeal snoring accompanied by obstructive apnoea.
For some years there have been surgical techniques for correcting this snoring. However, the maxillary surgery which pharyngeal snoring requires is major surgery, with the operation lasting several hours and the uvulo-palatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) correcting velar snoring is not without drawbacks. This explains the popularity of prostheses and other preventative devices.
The device proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,459 very particularly relates to velar snoring and makes use of a lozenge which is meant to rest on the soft palate so as to prevent it from starting to vibrate. The device is fixed by means of dental hooks. In principle it has no effect on pharyngeal snoring.
Some devices tackle pharyngeal snoring and, starting from the same fact that this type of snoring is associated with a retrognathia of the lower jaw, they tend to cause an advancement of the lower jaw so as to separate the base of the tongue from the posterior pharyngeal wall and thus extend the laryngeal isthmus. These devices have shapes which resemble gum shields, such as used by sportsmen, boxers in particular. Within this family of devices it may be noted that the majority of them offers a sort of respiratory duct, a little like the mouthpiece of a snorkel. Such devices are described in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,470; U.S Pat. No. 1,674,336; GB 1 569 129; DE PS 23 20 501 or also EP O 312 368.
Other devices, on the other hand, concentrate on pulling the base of the tongue forwards, not by acting on the lower jaw, but by acting directly on the tongue. Thus, in patent U.S. Pat No. 3,132,647, a sort of spoon rests directly on the tongue. Finally, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,227, the tongue is introduced into a housing and remains there confined and pulled forwards by suction, a little as children do when introducing their tongue into the neck of a bottle.
To sum up, the devices already known may only tackle one of the two types of snoring described above. Some of them do not appear to be particularly comfortable to wear. It is not necessary to dwell on the shortcomings of the known devices, as every one can very well imagine the sensation created by these devices when worn. Doubtless in some cases snoring is overcome by the lack of sleep.
It will also be noted that no known device is able to keep the snorer's mouth shut, even if in the last patent cited oral respiration is prevented or proclaimed as such.
The object of the present invention is to propose a device capable of eliminating both types of snoring, either separately, or simultaneously, with it being stated that this device a
REFERENCES:
patent: 1674336 (1928-06-01), King
patent: 2705006 (1955-03-01), Cettel
patent: 4669459 (1987-06-01), Spiewak
patent: 4715368 (1987-12-01), George
patent: 4862903 (1989-09-01), Campbell
patent: 4901737 (1990-02-01), Toone
patent: 5003994 (1991-04-01), Cook
patent: 5092346 (1992-03-01), Hays
patent: 5117816 (1992-06-01), Shapiro
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