Obstructive Sleep Apnea After Stroke Help

[MB123]

Hi,

My mom had a stroke in January which leaves her left side almost completely paralyzed since. She's getting weak due to her cancer and cancer treatments that she's been through. She is currently hospitalized due to an infection. The doctor said her throat is swollen, and her tongue would roll back to block airway. So they put a nasal trumpet for that. Doctor said my mom's muscle is to weak to hold her tongue in place, and the tongue rolling back could be lethal if that completely blocks her airway. The doctor didn't mention OSA specifically, but after some googling, I think mom's situation is a form of OSA? 

I'd love to hear what you guys think that can help my mom. Doctor said nasal trumpet my not be good a long term solution, but he doesn't have other suggestions. Will CPAP machine help in my mom's case?

Thanks in advance

[Dormeo]

If the problem is the position of your mother's tongue, CPAP is unlikely to help. It can stent open lax tissue lining the pharynx, but it can't move a large organ like the tongue. The nasopharyngeal airway sounds like a good solution for now.

It's very important that you raise your questions with your mother's doctor. One question you might ask is whether she would be a candidate for a tracheostomy to treat the apnea while she sleeps. There's a brief description here, on a trusted web site:

https://www.nyp.org/healthlibrary/surgic...leep-apnea