ResMed studies connect the dots on central sleep apnea

SAN DIEGO - People with treatment-emergent central sleep apnea (CSA) have a significantly greater risk of terminating CPAP therapy, according to a new ResMed-sponsored study presented on May 22 at the 2017 American Thoracic Society International Conference. Researchers found that 3.5% of patients had CSA during the first 90 days of therapy. ResMed says the study highlights the importance of regularly monitoring patients to support adherence to treatment, and diagnosing CSA early to minimize risk of therapy termination. The study builds on another study released earlier this year that showed patients with treatment-emergent CSA who switch treatment from CPAP therapy to adaptive servo-ventilation therapy use their therapy longer and have significantly fewer apneas during sleep. "This study provides the most robust view available on the prevalence of CSA in patients on PAP therapy,” said Dr. Carlos Nunez, ResMed's chief medical officer. “The findings in this new research, combined with the research presented in April 2017, underscore the importance of keeping patients on therapy through regular monitoring, and rethinking the conventional wisdom on therapeutic options based on each patient's disease severity." Researchers found that patients with any form of CSA during CPAP therapy were at higher risk of terminating therapy in the first 90 days versus those who did not develop CSA, but patients with emergent CSA, whose condition only became apparent during therapy, were 1.7 times more likely to terminate their therapy than those without the condition. The study defined three groups among patients with CSA: emergency, persistent and transient.