Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a treatment often recommended for people suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and sometimes even for social snorers. OSA is a serious health condition where efforts to breathe can cause the airway to repeatedly collapse during sleep. These “apnea episodes” block air from reaching the lungs, which lowers the level of oxygen in the blood. A CPAP machine delivers a continuous stream of compressed air through a mask placed on the nose and/or mouth during sleep which helps keep the airways open during sleep.
When used as prescribed, which is typically nightly, CPAP can be a highly effective way to treat OSA. Unfortunately, many CPAP users find it to be cumbersome and inconvenient and so they reduce their usage resulting in an ineffective solution. Recent studies show that CPAP should be used for a minimum of 6 hours each night to reduce the long-term health risks associated with OSA and see improvement in daily functioning and daytime sleepiness.1 It’s no surprise that less than 30% of patients actually use CPAP as prescribed.
Aside from the inconvenience of wearing a CPAP mask and the intrusion on intimacy, some people report frequent awakenings from discomfort or noise emitted by the machine. Others complain of dry mouth or nasal congestion, and some struggle with feelings of claustrophobia.2
If you’ve been prescribed a CPAP machine and are seeking an alternative, long-term solution, Sereno may be able to help. The minimally invasive, FDA approved solutions we perform will improve OSA. In some cases, they are an effective alternative to CPAP. In other cases, they enable patients to lower their CPAP treatment setting to make the therapy much more tolerable.
Learn more about our solutions or call us at 415-525-8400 to schedule an evaluation with our specialized Ear, Nose and Throat physician.
1Weaver TE, Kribbs NB, Pack AI, et al. Night-to-night variability in CPAP use over the first three months of treatment. Sleep 1997; 20:278–283.
Terri E. Weaver, PhD, RN, FAAN, Greg Maislin, MS, MA, David F. Dinges, PhD; Thomas Bloxham, MD; Charles F. P. George, MD; Harly Greenberg, MD;Gihan Kader, MD; Mark Mahowald, MD; Joel Younger, MD; Allan I. Pack, MD, PhD. Relationship between hours of CPAP use and achieving normal levels of sleepiness and daily functioning. Sleep 2007; 30: 711–719.
2Engleman, HM, Wild, MR. Improving CPAP use by patients with sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (SAHS). Sleep Med Rev 2003; 7: 81.
If you are currently using or have been prescribed CPAP, we have a more convenient, long-term solution for you.
