Do nasal dilator strips impact site of obstruction and severity of sleep disordered breathing during pregnancy?A greater proportion of women are entering pregnancy with chronic conditions that are pre-existing risk factors for the development or exacerbation of sleep disordered breathing (SDB), such as obstructive sleep apnea. The association of SDB with these chronic conditions suggests a potential role for SDB in severe maternal morbidity. However, the pathogenesis and the anatomical site of obstruction are not well understood in pregnant patients with SDB and are likely different from the non-pregnant population due to pregnancy related physiologic changes. This limited understanding may impact the development of population-specific therapeutic options. Work from Dr. Bourjeily’s lab has shown that the level of obstruction in SDB may be proximal, rather than pharyngeal or nasopharyngeal. This project aims to elucidate the role of nasal obstruction and resistance in SDB during pregnancy using nasal dilator strips (NDS) to mechanically reduce collapsibility of the nasal vestibule.Maxwell, MarikoAuthorSequeira, TamaraAuthorAllenson, ChristineAuthorBourjeily MD, GhadaAuthorBrown University. Alpert Medical School. Scholarly Concentration Program. Non-Scholarly Concentratorresearch programSleepPregnancySleep apnea syndromesEnglish2019Non-Scholarly ConcentratorAll rights reservedtext