Ai-Ming Wong's confirmation of candidature, "Clinical predictors of obstructive sleep apnoea resolution following surgical interventions", 23 January

All staff and students are invited to Ai-Ming Wong's PhD confirmation of candidature. 

10-11am,  23 January, TRF seminar room 2

Presentation Title: Clinical predictors of obstructive sleep apnoea resolution following surgical interventions (upper airway surgery and surgical weight loss).

Synopsis:

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition and results in significant daytime sleepiness and fatigue, depression, increased risk of motor vehicle accidents, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Only 50% of patients can tolerate the “gold” standard treatment, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Upper airway surgery is a critical alternative treatment with the potential to cure OSA but only does so in approximately 25% of patients. Similarly, surgical weight loss can resolve OSA, but its resolution cannot be predicted by their starting weight or post-intervention weight loss.  The key problem is that current clinical tools cannot accurately predict treatment response for either approach. My research aims to use novel OSA physiological traits to predict treatment response to these interventions (upper airway surgery and surgical weight loss).

Supervisors:  A/Professor Garun Hamilton, Dr Bradley Edwards, Dr Simon Joosten, A/Professor Darren Mansfield