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. 2022 Mar;26(1):325-331.
doi: 10.1007/s11325-021-02398-w. Epub 2021 Jun 6.

Adherence to CPAP therapy for sleep apnea in patients aged over 70 years old

Heidi Avellan-Hietanen  1 , Tiina Aalto  2 , Paula Maasilta  2 , Oili Ask  3 , Adel Bachour  2
Affiliations

Adherence to CPAP therapy for sleep apnea in patients aged over 70 years old

Heidi Avellan-Hietanen et al. Sleep Breath. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: Adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome has not been established in patients over 70 years of age, whereas several studies have reported adherence below that age. This trial was designed to address this evidence gap.

Methods: Consecutive senior (> 70 years) patients with OSA, mean respiratory event index (REI) 34/h, body mass index (BMI) 31 kg/m2, and junior (< 50 years) patients (REI 37/h, BMI 31 kg/m2) were included.

Results: At year follow-up among 72 senior patients (35 women) and 71 junior patients (17 women), there was no difference in the percentage of patients abandoning CPAP (senior 47% vs. junior 43%) or in CPAP daily use (4:53 ± 2:44 hh:min vs. 4:23 ± 3:00 hh:min).

Conclusions: CPAP adherence in senior patients with OSA was not poorer than that of a younger group of OSA patients. Advanced age should not be an obstacle to CPAP initiation.

Keywords: Adherence; Daily use; Elderly; Nine-hole test; Pinch-test.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Nine-Hole Peg Test. The patient is requested to take the pegs from a container, one by one, and place them into the holes on the board. The patient then places the pegs one by one back into the container as quickly as possible
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pinch test. In the pinch test, the patient pinches the measurement device in three different positions as tightly as possible
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Shoulder movements. The nurse measures the movement angles of the patient’s upper limb in different positions
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Patient flowchart
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Kaplan-Meyer plot of proportions of senior and junior patients remaining on CPAP
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
CPAP daily use. No significant difference in mean CPAP daily use between senior and junior patients was observed
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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