ABSTRACT
Historical review Guilleminault et al reported the results of 50 patients with OSA treated with tracheotomy.1
Apnea indices were uniformly greater than 65 events per hour. All patients reported dramatic reduction in apnea-associated symptomatology. Subsequent study in the sleep laboratory with the tracheotomy open and patent showed that apnea indices had been reduced to fewer than five per hour per individual. Occlusion of the tracheotomy tube resulted in recurrence of OSA.
