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The Apnea Patient's News, Education & Awareness Network |
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The Apnea Patient's News, Education & Awareness Network |
This page last updated on 05/27/06
While not intended to be an exhaustive or definitive list of terms used in Sleep Medicine or in the discussion of Sleep Apnea, this page is devoted to giving brief definitions to terms or abbreviations found in the articles on this web site. As terms are mentioned in the site, this list will be expanded and those terms will be linked to their definitions here in the Glossary. This list may also include the names of companies or sleep researchers whose names you might encounter here. Some terms listed here are common to sleep apnea but may or may not be listed in specific pages in this web site.
As a reader, if you are unsure of some term used here, or that you have heard used regarding apnea, please email us with your suggestions for terms or abbreviations to add to this Glossary. Send your email to Glossary@apneanet.org. We'll do our best to find the definition and include it in our list. If you know the definition of a term that you think we should have on this list, please also email us with the word AND the definition. We welcome all suggestions.
If this list seems short right now, or incomplete, don't worry, it will continue to grow!
To move to a specific set of definitions beginning with a certain letter, please click on the letter in the list shown below:
| Letter | Term or Abbreviation | Definition |
| A.S.A.A. | An abbreviation for American Sleep Apnea Association. For more information, see our page for the ASAA or check out the ASAA website at www.sleepapnea.org | |
| A.W.A.K.E. | An abbreviation for Alert, Well, And Keeping Energetic! The network of A.W.A.K.E. health-awareness and support groups is sponsored by the American Sleep Apnea Association, based in Washington, DC. The current Director of the A.W.A.K.E. Network is Lauren Ero, who can be reached at 202-293-3650 or t mailto: awake@sleepapnea.org |
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| Letter | Term or Abbreviation | Definition |
| Bi-PAP | A bi-level pressure device for treating sleep apnea. The "bi" refers to the use of two pressures: a higher pressure for inhalation and a lower pressure for exhalation. This is a more expensive device than a standard CPAP, but some patients tolerate it better because they don't have the strength to exhale comfortably against the constant inhalation pressure. | |
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| Letter | Term or Abbreviation | Definition |
| CPAP | An abbreviation for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, a term for the device used to treat sleep apnea by delivering positive airway pressure at a constant, continuous pressure to help maintain an open airway, allowing a patient to breathe normally through their nose and airway. The treatment option of choice for most sleep apnea patients. | |
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| Letter | Term or Abbreviation | Definition |
| ENT | An abbreviation for Ear, Nose and Throat. During used as a reference to a doctor who specializes in diseases of the Ear, Nose and Throat. Often these specialists also do surgery, and may be referred to as an ENT surgeon. | |
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| Letter | Term or Abbreviation | Definition |
| MSLT | An abbreviation for Multiple Sleep Latency Test. This is a test usually given to assist in diagnosing or ruling out the possibility of Narcolepsy. The test consists of a series of short naps during the daytime, done in the sleep lab, to measure daytime sleepiness and how fast you fall asleep. | |
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| Letter | Term or Abbreviation | Definition |
| An abbreviation for Obstructive Sleep Apnea | ||
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| Letter | Term or Abbreviation | Definition |
| PAP | An abbreviation for Positive Airway Pressure, used in conjunction with other letters as prefixes, such as CPAP, Bi-PAP, VPAP, etc. Refers to treating sleep apnea with positive pressure supplied to the airway through use of a compression machine, tubing, and a mask or nasal pillows. | |
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| Letter | Term or Abbreviation | Definition |
| ResMed | ResMed is a leading manufacturer of sleep apnea equipment and accessories. Their product line includes the Sullivan brand of pressure devices and the popular Mirage mask. You can find their website at www.resmed.com.au | |
| Respironics | Respironics is a leading manufacturer of sleep apnea equipment and accessories. Their product line includes the Healthdyne brand, which they purchased in 1997, as well as their own xxxx series of products. Their website is located at www.respironics.com | |
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| Letter | Term or Abbreviation | Definition |
| SAS | An abbreviation for Sleep Apnea Syndrome, may also be seen as OSAS for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. | |
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