Colin Sullivan is an Australian physician, professor, and inventor known for his invention of the nasal

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a form of positive airway pressure (PAP) ventilation in which a constant level of pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is continuously applied to the upper respiratory tract of a person. The ap ...

(CPAP) circuit, made of continuous flow machine and vented nasal mask, in June 1980. Sullivan’s development of the nasal CPAP was a product of his long-term interest in the upper respiratory airway and its role in

SIDS Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usual ...

(aka crib death or cot death). Prior to the invention of the nasal CPAP machine

sleep apnea Sleep apnea, also spelled sleep apnoea, is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal. Each pause can last for a few seconds to a few minutes and they happen many times ...

was often treated with radical measures such as

tracheotomy Tracheotomy (, ), or tracheostomy, is a surgical airway management procedure which consists of making an incision (cut) on the anterior aspect (front) of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (windpipe). The ...

. In 2009 Prof. Sullivan was awarded an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

Award for "service to medicine as an innovator in the field of sleep disorders and the development of equipment and treatment practices".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Colin Living people 20th-century Australian inventors Sydney Medical School alumni Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Year of birth missing (living people) Australian paediatricians