Nasal CPAP during wakefulness increases intraocular pressure in glaucoma.
Few important side-effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) have been reported. No increase of intraocular pressure (IOP) complicating this treatment has previously been described. The goal of our study was to analyse the influence of nCPAP on IOP. We evaluated 18 patients previously diagnosed as having glaucoma and 22 normal subjects. nCPAP was used during wakefulness, at +12 cmH2O for 15 min. The results showed that nCPAP significantly increases IOP in patients with glaucoma (before nCPAP 20.3 +/- 6.3 mmHg) (mean +/- SEM); after nCPAP 22.3 +/- 5.7 mmHg. We believe that nCPAP might be relatively contraindicated in difficult to manage glaucoma patients, if these results are corroborated.
Alvarez-Sala
R
R
Division of Pneumology, La Paz Hospital, School of Medicine, Autónoma University, Madrid, Spain.
García
I T
IT
García
F
F
Moriche
J
J
Prados
C
C
Díaz
S
S
Villasante
C
C
Alvarez-Sala
J L
JL
Villamor
J
J
D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014851:Wakefulness