[Continuous positive airways pressure treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea]

Abstract

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) still remains the most frequently used and the most efficient treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. However, its efficiency is conditioned by healthcare quality depending on many factors such as medical specificities of the patients as well as the severity of sleep-related breathing disorders. In order to optimize CPAP efficiency, it is necessary to be aware of the functional abilities of the different devices, and to perform a close monitoring of the patients, particularly during the first weeks of treatment, by maximally using the data provided by the CPAP apparatus. Some questions remain unsolved, such as the impact of nasal CPAP on glucose metabolism or cardiovascular prognosis. Furthermore, the strategy of CPAP use should be improved according to future results of studies dedicated to the interest of home telemonitoring and taking into account the validated mode of CPAP initiation.

Keywords: Continuous positive airway pressure; Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome; Pression positive continue; Sleep; Sleepiness; Sommeil; Somnolence; Syndrome d’apnées obstructives du sommeil; Traitement; Treatment.