Long-term results and compliance of a special vest preventing the supine position

Abstract

Apart from positional training, rigid masses attached to the patient”™s back such as the tennis ball technique have been used to avoid sleeping supine in positional obstructive sleep apnea (POSA). Due to limited efficacy in preventing supine sleep, special vests with rigid foam pieces in their back part have been developed. They effectively eliminate supine position and normalize breathing during sleep in POSA patients as good as CPAP in a controlled trial. Although short-term compliance seems better than CPAP, long-term adherence is only about 30 %, mainly due to discomfort while sleeping with the vest. Data regarding cardiovascular risk, daytime performance, or vigilance is lacking.