Treatment adherence and outcomes in flexible vs standard continuous positive airway pressure therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To compare adherence and clinical outcomes between flexible positive airway pressure (PAP) [C-Flex; Respironics; Murraysville, PA] and standard PAP therapy (ie, continuous positive airway pressure [CPAP]).


METHODS
A controlled clinical trial of CPAP therapy vs therapy using the C-Flex device in participants with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea. Participants were recruited from and followed up through an academic sleep disorders center.


METHODS
Eighty-nine participants were recruited into the study after they had undergone complete in-laboratory polysomnography and before initiating therapy. Participants received either therapy with CPAP (n = 41) or with the C-Flex device (n = 48), depending on the available treatment at the time of recruitment, with those recruited earlier receiving CPAP therapy and those recruited later receiving therapy with the C-Flex device. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 3 months.


RESULTS
The groups were similar demographically. The mean (+/- SD) treatment adherence over the 3-month follow-up period was higher in the C-Flex group compared to the CPAP group (weeks 2 to 4, 4.2 +/- 2.4 vs 3.5 +/- 2.8, respectively; weeks 9 to 12, 4.8 +/- 2.4 vs 3.1 +/- 2.8, respectively). Clinical outcomes and attitudes toward treatment (self-efficacy) were also measured. Change in subjective sleepiness and functional outcomes associated with sleep did not improve more in one group over the other. Self-efficacy showed a trend toward being higher at the follow-up in those patients who had been treated with the C-Flex device compared to CPAP treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Therapy with the C-Flex device may improve overall adherence over 3 months compared to standard therapy with CPAP. Clinical outcomes do not improve consistently, but C-Flex users may be more confident about their ability to adhere to treatment. Randomized clinical trials are needed to replicate these findings.
Aloia
Mark S
MS
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown Medical School, Providence RI, USA. Mark_Aloia@Brown.edu
Stanchina
Michael
M
Arnedt
J Todd
JT
Malhotra
Atul
A
Millman
Richard P
RP
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007385:Intermittent Positive-Pressure Ventilation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017286:Polysomnography; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome