Nasopharyngeal airway stenting devices for obstructive sleep apnoea: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To systematically review outcomes of adults with obstructive sleep apnoea treated with nasopharyngeal airwaystenting devices. Methods: Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane Librarydatabases were searched, and data on device use and tolerability, sleepiness, oxygen saturation, apnoea index, apnoea–hypopnoea index, and sleep quality were collected. Results: Of 573 potential studies, 29 were retrieved for detailed evaluation and 16 met the study criteria. Polysomnographydata for patients treated with nasal trumpetsas an isolated therapy were pooled for metaanalysis. The mean apnoea index±standard deviation, for 53 patients, decreased from 32.4 ±15.9 to 9.0 ±7.2 episodes per hour (p< 0.00001). The mean apnoea–hypopnoea index, for 193 patients, decreased from 44.1 ± 18.9 to 22.7 ± 19.3 episodes per hour (p<0.00001). The mean lowest oxygen saturation, for 193 patients, increased from 66.5 ± 14.2 to 75.5 ±13.9 per cent (p< 0.00001). Conclusion: Some studies have demonstrated limited effectiveness and low tolerability of nasopharyngeal airwaystenting devices, while other studies have shown a significant benefit in treating obstructive sleep apnoea, with a high level of patient acceptance. Nasal trumpetshave been successful in decreasing airway obstruction in the short term.