Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2008 Mar;31(3):429-32.
doi: 10.1093/sleep/31.3.429.

Effect of expiratory positive airway pressure on sleep disordered breathing

Raphael Heinzer  1 , David P White, Atul Malhotra, Yu L Lo, Louise Dover, Karen E Stevenson, Amy S Jordan
Affiliations

Effect of expiratory positive airway pressure on sleep disordered breathing

Raphael Heinzer et al. Sleep. 2008 Mar.

Abstract

Study objectives: We sought to determine the effect of expiratory positive airway pressure on end expiratory lung volume (EELV) and sleep disordered breathing in obstructive sleep apnea patients.

Design: Observational physiology study

Participants: We studied 10 OSA patients during sleep wearing a facial mask. We recorded 1 hour of NREM sleep without treatment (baseline) and 1 hour with 10 cm H2O EPAP in random order, while measuring EELV and breathing pattern.

Results: The mean EELV change between baseline and EPAP was only 13.3 mL (range 2-25 mL). Expiratory time was significantly increased with EPAP compared to baseline 2.64 +/- 0.54 vs 2.16 +/- 0.64 sec (P = 0.002). Total respiratory time was longer with EPAP than at baseline 4.44 +/- 1.47 sec vs 3.73 +/- 0.88 sec (P = 0.3), and minute ventilation was lower with EPAP vs baseline 7.9 +/- 4.17 L/min vs 9.05 +/- 2.85 L/min (P = 0.3). For baseline (no treatment) and EPAP respectively, the mean apnea+hypopnea index (AHI) was 62.6 +/- 28.7 and 56.8 +/- 30.3 events per hour (P = 0.4).

Conclusion: In OSA patients during sleep, the application of 10 cm H2O EPAP led to prolongation of expiratory time with only marginal increases in FRC. These findings suggest important mechanisms exist to avoid hyperinflation during sleep.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Van de Graaff WB. Thoracic influence on upper airway patency. J Appl Physiol. 1988;65:2124–31. - PubMed
    1. Heinzer RC, Stanchina ML, Malhotra A, et al. Effect of increased lung volume on sleep disordered breathing in patients with sleep apnoea. Thorax. 2006;61:435–9. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Heinzer RC, Stanchina ML, Malhotra A, et al. Lung volume and continuous positive airway pressure requirements in obstructive sleep apnea. Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2005;172:114–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. American Academy of Sleep Medicine Task Force. Sleep-related breathing disorders in adults: Recommendations for syndrome definition and measurement techniques in adults. Sleep. 1999;22:667–89. - PubMed
    1. Banzett RB, Mahan ST, Garner DM, Brughera A, Loring SH. A simple and reliable method to calibrate respiratory magnetometers and Respitrace. J Appl Physiol. 1995;79:2169–76. - PubMed

Publication types