[Management of the sleep apnoea syndrome in a general hospital]. / Prise en charge du syndrome d'apnées du sommeil dans un hôpital général. Étude rétrospective de 1718patients appareillés du 1(er) janvier 1994 au 1(er) janvier 2010.

INTRODUCTION: There are few long-term studies on the management of the sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report a retrospective analysis of the management of SAS in the respiratory service of a general hospital between 1st January 1994 and 1st January 2010. RESULTS: One thousand seven hundred and eighteen patients were diagnosed with SAS and treated with continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP). One thousand one hundred and seventy-three were still being treated on 1st January 2010, representing 68.3% of the total. Four hundred and thirty-three had stopped treatment, representing 25.2% of the total number of patients treated. Four hundred and fourteen patients had died while being treated. The median daily CPAP use among patients still being treated is 6.44 hours. When CPAP was discontinued 45% occurred in the first 6 months and 91% in the first 3 years. The mean apnoea/hypopnoea index of the patients who discontinued treatment was 44 as opposed to 51 for those still using CPAP. The elderly population adhered well to treatment in the long term. The prevalence of severe SAS requiring longer periods of treatment has increased in recent years, probably as the result of practical developments. CONCLUSION: The numbers of investigations and of patients starting treatment are increasing constantly. Long-term compliance with CPAP is satisfactory. Discontinuation of treatment occurs mainly in the early months and, above all, in the non-compliant group. SAS is less severe in those patients who discontinue treatment. Old age is not an obstacle to treatment with CPAP.

[Long term use of nCPAP therapy in sleep apnoea patients]. / Acceptation a long terme du traitement par pression positive continue.

INTRODUCTION: Although obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is usually a lifelong condition, little is known about compliance with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) over longer periods of follow up. METHODS: Long term acceptance of nCPAP was evaluated retrospectively using a survival analysis in 137 consecutive patients who started nCPAP therapy for OSAS between 1985 and 1993. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 9.2 +/- 4.7 years, 30 patients died, 5 were lost of follow-up and 30 patients stopped their treatment most of them during the first 5 years. In compliant patients, the median value of daily nCPAP use was 7.5 hours. Kaplan Meier analysis showed that 82% of patients were still using nCPAP at 5 years, 77% at 10 years and 61% at 15 years. Multivariate analysis showed that OSAS severity was an independent predictor of long-term nCPAP use. The rate of nCPAP acceptance at 10 years was 82% in patients with an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) > or = 30 compared to 58% in patients with AHI < 30. CONCLUSION: nCPAP is a suitable long-term therapy for OSAS, particularly in patients with more severe disease, with more than 80% of patients continuing to be compliant with treatment at 10 years.

[An unusual cause of pulmonary cysts]. / Une cause inhabituelle de kystes pulmonaires.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple pathologies may be associated with cystic appearances in the lungs. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis, Langerhans cell histiocytosis and lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia are the principal causes of thin walled pulmonary cysts. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a non-smoking woman of 71 years, a retired farmer, who was admitted on account of cough, increasing dyspnoea, fever and loss of weight that developed following exposure to hay. The thoracic CT scan revealed diffuse ground glass opacities and centrilobular nodules. Multiple thin walled cystic shadows were distributed homogeneously throughout both lung fields. Broncho-alveolar lavage revealed a marked lymphocytosis (63%) and precipitins for Microsporum Faeni were strongly positive (6 arcs). The respiratory symptoms resolved spontaneously during the stay in hospital, allowing the patient to be discharged after 3 weeks with the advice to avoid all contact with hay. One month later she remained symptom free, the repeat CT scan showed a diminution ofthe ground glass opacities and the nodules but persistence of the pulmonary cysts. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis should be considered in the presence of a diffuse pulmonary infiltrate with multiple thin walled cysts in a patient with a suggestive history and clinical picture.