Contraindications
Contraindications and Exclusion Criteria
All contraindications for the SchnarchFrei System are intended to prevent aspiration and swallowing of utensils.
A: Absolute exclusion criteria:
Swallowing disorders, covered under
- R13.0: Dysphagia requiring supervision during eating
- R13.9: Dysphagia, unspecified
In these cases, there is a sensory and/or motor control deficiency in the throat area, preventing patients from performing the swallowing action properly, often resulting in food particles entering the lungs. Therefore, the use of SchnarchFrei is absolutely contraindicated for this group of people!
(This syndrome is mainly present in neurological disorders, most often as a result of a stroke, but also other neurodegenerative diseases see below B.)
B: Relative contraindications:
With ICD-10 code
The conditional exclusion criteria include
All neuro-muscular diseases if their symptoms extend to the oropharyngeal area and dysphagia (swallowing disorder) can occur.
- G52.1: Diseases of the glossopharyngeal nerve [IX cranial nerve]
- G52.3: Diseases of the hypoglossal nerve [XII cranial nerve]
- G70-G73: Diseases of the neuromuscular junction and muscle
- G20-G26: Extrapyramidal and movement disorders
Intellectual disability, psychological-intellectual-cognitive impairment: Risk of misunderstanding the instructions and exercises, lack of (sensorimotor) awareness and self-control, leading to the risk of incorrect exercise performance – and risk of aspiration and swallowing:
- F71: Moderate intellectual disabilities
- F72: Severe intellectual disabilities
- F73: Profound intellectual disabilities
- F84: Pervasive developmental disorders
- F20-F29: Schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders
- F10: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
- F11: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of opioids
- F12: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of cannabinoids
- F13: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of sedatives or hypnotics
- F16: Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of hallucinogens
- F19: Mental and behavioural disorders due to multiple substance use and use of other psychoactive substances
- F00-F09: Dementia and other organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders
Without ICD-10 code
Taking medications that cloud consciousness, alertness, cognitive performance, intellectual understanding, and sensory perception.
It is up to the discretion of the treating physician to decide whether the medical benefits of therapy with the SchnarchFrei System outweigh the risks for the respective patient, despite existing contraindications. Thus, patients with existing contraindications could not only benefit from improved sleep quality and reduced daytime sleepiness in terms of OSAS or Rhonchopathy, but also for the relief of the respective underlying disease.
Even with the above indications, no side effects are expected. Risks lie in the swallowing of utensils, e.g., if the therapy is carried out while intoxicated. In such a state, it would also be unlikely that the app could still be operated.
