Trial reportThorax2016
Randomised sham-controlled trial of transcutaneous electrical stimulation in obstructive sleep apnoea.
Trial report in Thorax, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Randomised, Double-blinded, Sham-controlled Cross-over Trial of Continuous Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation of the Pharyngeal Dilator Muscles in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Randomised Controlled Trial of Domiciliary Transcutaneous Electrical Stimulation in Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 54 citations in OpenAlex.
- European Respiratory Society guideline on non-CPAP therapies for obstructive sleep apnoea.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2021Guideline
- Electrical stimulation as a therapeutic approach in obstructive sleep apnea - a meta-analysis.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2021Pooled it
- Therapeutic options for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a retrospective review of difficult-to-treat cases in a multidisciplinary approach.BMJ open respiratory research · 2026Article
- The effect of electrical stimulation of the upper airway dilator muscles on blood pressure in healthy volunteers and patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.ERJ open research · 2026Article
- Redefining Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Treatment in the Modern Era.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2026Review
- Article
- Effect of non-invasive neuroelectric stimulation of oral cavity for obstructive sleep apnoea: A systematic review.World journal of otorhinolaryngology - head and neck surgery · 2025Review
- Article
- The effect of transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the submental area on the cardiorespiratory response in normal and awake subjects.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Article
- Beyond CPAP: modifying upper airway output for the treatment of OSA.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Review
- Non-CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea.Breathe (Sheffield, England) · 2022Review
- Current and novel treatment options for obstructive sleep apnoea.ERJ open research · 2022Review
- Clinical and Research Solutions to Manage Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Review.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Beyond Usual Care: A Multidisciplinary Approach Towards the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2021Review
- Practice Recommendations for Diagnosis and Treatment of the Most Common Forms of Secondary Hypertension.High blood pressure & cardiovascular prevention : the official journal of the Italian Society of Hypertension · 2020Review
- Ultrasound assessment of upper airway dilator muscle contraction during transcutaneous electrical stimulation in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.Journal of thoracic disease · 2020Article
- The specific branches leading to the genioglossus muscle: three-dimensional localisation using skin reference points.Surgical and radiologic anatomy : SRA · 2020Article
- Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation in the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Patient Selection and New Perspectives.Nature and science of sleep · 2020Review
- Domiciliary use of transcutaneous electrical stimulation for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: a conceptual framework for the TESLA home programme.Journal of thoracic disease · 2019Review
- Phenotyping the pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnea using polygraphy/polysomnography: a review of the literature.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2018Review
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
15 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionObstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is characterised by a loss of neuromuscular tone of the upper airway dilator muscles while asleep. This study investigated the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical stimulation in patients with OSA. PATIENTS AND
methodsThis was a randomised, sham-controlled crossover trial using transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the upper airway dilator muscles in patients with confirmed OSA. Patients were randomly assigned to one night of sham stimulation and one night of active treatment. The primary outcome was the 4% oxygen desaturation index, responders were defined as patients with a reduction >25% in the oxygen desaturation index when compared with sham stimulation and/or with an index <5/hour in the active treatment night.
resultsIn 36 patients (age mean 50.8 (SD 11.2) years, male/female 30/6, body mass index median 29.6 (IQR 26.9-34.9) kg/m(2), Epworth Sleepiness Scale 10.5 (4.6) points, oxygen desaturation index median 25.7 (16.0-49.1)/hour, apnoea-hypopnoea index median 28.1 (19.0-57.0)/hour) the primary outcome measure improved when comparing sham stimulation (median 26.9 (17.5-39.5)/hour) with active treatment (median 19.5 (11.6-40.0)/hour; p=0.026), a modest reduction of the mean by 4.1 (95% CI -0.6 to 8.9)/hour. Secondary outcome parameters of patients' perception indicated that stimulation was well tolerated. Responders (47.2%) were predominantly from the mild-to-moderate OSA category. In this subgroup, the oxygen desaturation index was reduced by 10.0 (95% CI 3.9 to 16.0)/hour (p<0.001) and the apnoea-hypopnoea index was reduced by 9.1 (95% CI 2.0 to 16.2)/hour (p=0.004).
conclusionTranscutaneous electrical stimulation of the pharyngeal dilators during a single night in patients with OSA improves upper airway obstruction and is well tolerated. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01661712.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.