Serious Symptoms Of Pulmonary Artery Sling

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes an individual to stop and start breathing multiple times during their sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of sleep apnea among the population and typically happens when the muscles in an individual's throat allow it to close and block the airway. Pulmonary artery sling patients may have obstructive sleep apnea because the irregularly positioned pulmonary arteries can cause the muscles to become overly relaxed in the windpipe. The airway becomes temporarily blocked during the affected individual's sleep. This malfunction may occur more often with changes in position. Essentially, this type of sleep apnea can occur when any mechanism involving the pressure from the pulmonary arteries causes the airway to become obstructed. Once the brain detects an abnormal rise in carbon dioxide levels due to the impaired breathing, it wakes the affected individual from their sleep to re-open the airway.