0792 Exploring Symptomatic Relief of Patients with Central Sleep Apnea when using CPAP or BiPAP Therapy

Abstract

Abstract Introduction About 0.9% of peoples over the age of 40 in the United States have Central Sleep Apnea (CSA). The key to treating CSA is to address any underlying health issues causing the condition as there are no clear, established treatment guidelines. For example, approaches will be made to mitigrate congestive heart failure. Often, patients may require the use of CPAP or BiPAP device to decrease cessations in respiration during sleep. Methods We investigated those patients diagnosed with CSA who use CPAP or BiPAP therapy and it's potential therapeutic effects through a retrospective chart review over a three-year period. We excluded those who were diagnosed with treatment emergent CSA and those using ASV. Data was collected from each patient's chart about patient demographics, modality of PAP therapy, and information pertaining to symptomatic relief. Results 42 patients were identified who had a diagnosis of CSA. 25 of 42 (59.5%) were excluded as they were using alternative therapies. Of the 17 patients, 14 (82.4%) were male with an average age of 70.7 and 3 (17.6%) were females with an average age of 50. 15 of the 17 (88.2%) used CPAP therapy and the 2 (11.8%) patients used BiPAP.Prior to PAP therapy, the average Epworth Sleepiness Scale was 8.08 which improved to 3.79 post therapy. 9 out of the 17 (52.9%) patients reported improvement in nocturnal gasping while 2 (11.8%) did not report relief and 6 (35.3%) patients we were unable to determine through chart review. 9 out of 17 (52.9%) patients reported unrefreshed sleep and later 6 of the 9 (66.7%) patients reported refreshed sleep with initiation of PAP therapy while 1 patient reported no improvement and 2 (22%) we were unable to determine. 15 of the 17 (88.2%) patients complained of waking up multiple times throughout the night before PAP therapy. 5 (33.3%) patients had improvement of the frequency of nighttime awakenings while we were unable to determine the remaining 10 patients. Conclusion When central sleep apnea persists despite adequate treatment of the primary cause, CPAP or BiPAP may be used for symptomatic relief. Support (If Any)