The obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a breathing disorder which leads to episodes of paused breathing during the night. This is caused by a collapse of the upper airways. The resulting blood oxygen desaturation can severely damage organs like the heart and the brain. With rising carbon dioxide levels the brain is signaled to wake the patient saving him or her from suffocation. This can happen more than 30 times per hour of sleep and leads to daytime sleepiness, higher risk for accidents and depression. OSA is also correlated with several heart diseases and stroke.

Since there is no way to observe the collapse in living patients there are many uncertainties regarding diagnosis and therapy. The goal of the research project THERASAS therefore is the use of patient-specific CFD and FSI simulations of the human upper airways for the prediction of snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea and a more precise therapy. The simulations are validated by flow measurements on a 3D-printed model of the upper aiways.

The project is carried out in cooperation with the Klinikum Dortmund gGmbH and the CADFEM Medical GmbH.

This research project is funded by the BMBF under the grant number 13GW0165B within the guideline for the founding of research regarding "Medizintechnische Lösungen für eine digitale Gesundheitsversorgung".