Polysomnography-Guided Titration to Troubleshoot First-Time CPAP Therapy in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: A Descriptive Observational Study

In 2021 Cameron began working as a research assistant at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Sleep Clinic, helping to investigate long term impacts of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) on cardiovascular health.

 

This progressed into acting as a Study Coordinator, helping conduct several projects at the Clinic across a range of topics. His area of interest is in improving CPAP adherence and how to improve delivery of our treatment to patients for better health outcomes.

 

 

Sleep apnoea is a disease characterised by the obstruction of the upper airway during sleep, causing snoring, difficulty breathing and low blood oxygen levels. The gold standard of treatment is Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), delivered by a mask which splints open the airway to allow for uninterrupted breathing.

 

The Sleep Clinic provides trials of CPAP therapy to patients after diagnosis of sleep apnoea from an overnight sleep study. Adherence is difficult for some patients for a range of reasons including pressure intolerance, claustrophobia, or mask fit issues. At times, physicians will order an overnight sleep study while using the therapy to identify the causes of intolerance.

 

These tests are unique to the SCGH Sleep Clinic, but there has been little investigation into the outcomes for patient adherence and overall acceptance. This study aims to identify any change in patients’ use of therapy after undergoing an overnight sleep study while using therapy.