Efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on 5-year survival in patients with ischaemic stroke and obstructive sleep apnea: a randomized controlled trial.

The main purpose of the present analysis is to assess the influence of introducing early nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) treatment on cardiovascular recurrences and mortality in patients with a first-ever ischaemic stroke and moderate-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥20 events h(-1) during a 5-year follow-up. Patients received conventional treatment for stroke and were assigned randomly to the nCPAP group (n = 71) or the control group (n = 69). Cardiovascular events and mortality were registered for all patients. Survival and cardiovascular event-free survival analysis were performed after 5-year follow-up using the Kaplan-Meier test. Patients in the nCPAP group had significantly higher cardiovascular survival than the control group (100 versus 89.9%, log-rank test 5.887; P = 0.015) However, and also despite a positive tendency, there were no significant differences in the cardiovascular event-free survival at 68 months between the nCPAP and control groups (89.5 versus 75.4%, log-rank test 3.565; P = 0.059). Early nCPAP therapy has a positive effect on long-term survival in ischaemic stroke patients and moderate-severe OSA.

Reliability of telemedicine in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Advances in information technology and telecommunications have provided the option of making it easier to diagnose and treat obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) using telemedicine techniques. This study assessed the feasibility and reliability of respiratory polygraphy and prescription of treatment by pressure adjustment with auto-continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) systems, both being transmitted telematically to the Sleep Unit, with teleconsultation as a support method. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty patients were studied from a population 80 km from the Sleep Unit using respiratory polygraphy transmitted in real time. They were divided into two groups: one was seen by conventional consultation, and the other was seen using teleconsultation. We also estimated satisfaction with this system and its costs. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 53 ± 10.3 years, with a body mass index of 31 ± 6.2 kg/m(2) and an Epworth score of 12 ± 5.3. In total, 35 patients were diagnosed with OSAS, with an Apnea-Hypopnea Index of ≥10, and CPAP treatment was started in 16 of them. The agreement in the Apnea-Hypopnea Index, total apneas and hypopneas, mean oxygen saturation, and time with an oxygen saturation <90% was greater than 90% between the studies transmitted in real time and those stored in the polygraph. The level of compliance with CPAP treatment was 85% for the patients who were seen in a conventional clinic and 75% in those seen by teleconsultation. CONCLUSIONS: The use of telematic techniques is useful to establish a diagnostic and therapeutic strategy for OSAS with the creation of a Wide Core Sleep Laboratory as a process controller.

Automatic CPAP performance in patients with sleep apnea plus COPD.

BACKGROUND: Automatic CPAP devices have demonstrated good results in obtaining optimal fixed CPAP pressure to eliminate respiratory events in patients with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS). However, automatic CPAP has not been fully studied in patients with COPD plus SAHS. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the performance of an automatic CPAP in severe COPD patients compared with SAHS patients with no associated co-morbidity. METHODS: We compared 10 consecutive patients with SAHS and no associated co-morbidity and 10 patients with SAHS plus severe COPD who required CPAP titration. Automatic CPAP performance was studied during full-night PSG. Inadequate pressure increase periods, absence of pressure increases in reaction to respiratory events, air leak periods, and pressure behaviour in the face of erratic breathing periods were analysed. RESULTS: The SAHS patients without co-morbidities vs. SAHS plus COPD patients presented: mean sleep efficiency, 80.2 (11.5)% vs. 76.5 (12.1)%; residual AHI, 6.3 (5.2) vs. 5.1 (7.7); residual CT90, 1 (3)% vs. 14 (1)%. The device´s performance demonstrates a mean of 1.2 (1.5) vs. 1.3 (1.2) periods of inadequate pressure increases; absence of pressure increases in reaction to respiratory events, 4.1 (5.4) vs. 0.6 (0.7) times; periods of air leaks, 1.3 (3.8) vs. 13.9 (11.7); mean optimal pressure, 9.1 (1.4) vs. 9.0 (1.9) cm H(2)O. CONCLUSION: Titration with automatic CPAP could be as effective in patients with SAHS plus severe COPD as in patients with SAHS without COPD. However, the presence of more leakages must be taken into account.

Management of sleep apnea: concordance between nonreference and reference centers.

BACKGROUND: When a disorder is as prevalent as sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS), different medical levels and approaches should be involved in facilitating the diagnosis, at least, of patients with symptoms that disrupt social or working life, and of risk groups such as professional drivers. We sought to analyze the degree of concordance between management and treatment decisions for SAHS patients at sleep reference centers (RCs) and at non-RCs (NRCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight consecutive patients with suspected SAHS were referred by family doctors to the NRC. The patients were studied randomly at the RC, using full polysomnography, and at the NRC, employing respiratory polygraphy. The concordance in the therapeutic approach between both centers was analyzed via the outcomes, and the physiologic variables of the sleep studies were also evaluated. RESULTS: The concordance in the final clinical decision was substantial. There was a good agreement with respect to apnea-hypopnea index as a categoric variable and as a continuous variable. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that respiratory physicians with simple sleep studies are able to manage a large number of patients with SAHS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT 00424658.

Noninvasive ventilation during the weaning process in chronically critically ill patients.

Chronically critically ill patients often undergo prolonged mechanical ventilation. The role of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) during weaning of these patients remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the value of NIV and whether a parameter can predict the need for NIV in chronically critically ill patients during the weaning process. We conducted a prospective study that included chronically critically ill patients admitted to Spanish respiratory care units. The weaning method used consisted of progressive periods of spontaneous breathing trials. Patients were transferred to NIV when it proved impossible to increase the duration of spontaneous breathing trials beyond 18 h. 231 chronically critically ill patients were included in the study. 198 (85.71%) patients achieved weaning success (mean weaning time 25.45±16.71 days), of whom 40 (21.4%) needed NIV during the weaning process. The variable which predicted the need for NIV was arterial carbon dioxide tension at respiratory care unit admission (OR 1.08 (95% CI 1.01-1.15), p=0.013), with a cut-off point of 45.5 mmHg (sensitivity 0.76, specificity 0.67, positive predictive value 0.76, negative predictive value 0.97). NIV is a useful tool during weaning in chronically critically ill patients. Hypercapnia despite mechanical ventilation at respiratory care unit admission is the main predictor of the need for NIV during weaning.