Patent ID: 8122889

Claim:
A method for improving airway patency in a patient having an oral cavity, a hard palate, a soft palate, a tongue, and an airway, said method comprising: constraining a medial surface of the patient's tongue to maintain a clear region between the medial surface and the hard palate, the medial surface being at least in part posterior to the midpoint between an anterior end of the hard palate and a posterior end of the hard palate, the clear region being in fluid communication with the soft palate through a posterior opening configured to apply vacuum toward an anterior surface of the soft palate; and applying a negative pressure within the clear region to hold the soft palate in a position in which the airway is at least partially open, wherein the posterior opening remains unobstructed by the tongue when the negative pressure is applied and the soft palate and tongue form a seal whereby the patient's airway is substantially fluidly isolated from the clear region.