The Rematee Bumper Belt® positional therapy device for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea: Positional effectiveness in healthy subjects

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The most common cause of OSA is soft-tissue blockage of the upper airway and, although many physiological and pathophysiological processes are impacted by altered consciousness, OSA most often occurs or is exacerbated when an individual moves to a supine position during sleep. A positional solution to this problem was proposed more than 120 years ago, with several novel modifications since; however, the effectiveness of these potential solutions has been diminished by poor patient compliance rates. This article describes a study that investigated the utility of a commercially available device designed to significantly limit subjects from sleeping supine.