Compliance and Side Effects in Sleep Apnea Patients Treated With Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

GERMAN NINO-MURCIA, MD; CATHERINE CROWE McCANN, MB, MRCPI; DONALD L. BLIWISE, PhD;CHRISTIAN GUILLEMINAULT, MD; and WILLIAM C. DEMENT, MD, PhD, Stanford, California

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective therapy for sleep apnea. We treated144 patients with nasal CPAP and observed them for periods of as long as 25 months. No pneumothoraces occurred in any patient. Compliance rates were between 65% (90/139) and 83% (90/108),depending on the patient population considered Demographic factors unrelated to discontinuingusing CPAP included age, sex, and the presence of a housemate. Better-educated patients were lessable to tolerate the equipment. Dry throat and nose and sore eyes were the most common sideeffects, but only sore eyes related to the amount of pressure. Side effects were unrelated to thenumber of months on the treatment, and obesity was related to higher pressures. Our study providesoptimistic intermediate-term follow-up observations of patients on nasal CPAP therapy for sleepapnea. Whether adverse consequences occur over longer periods of time remains to be seen.(Nino-Murcia G, McCann CC, Bliwise DL, et al: Compliance and side effects in sleep apnea patients treated with nasalcontinuous positive airway pressure. West J Med 1989 Feb; 150:165-169)

Ful Text:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1026328/pdf/westjmed00126-0037.pdf

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