Treatment-emergent central sleep apnea

Indroduction: Treatment-emergent central sleep apnea(complex sleep apnea) has been observed in approximately 3,5%-20% of patients treated with CPAP for obstructive sleep apnea Aims and objectives: To identify facrors that influence the evolution of treatment-emergent central sleep apnea Patients and methods: 40 patients diagnosed with treatment-emergent central sleep apnea in a general hospital were followed up using data from the CPAP memory cards and repeated clinical examinations.95% were men, with mean age:61±9.7 years, Body Mass Index:29.1±4.2 and polysomnography Apnea Hypopnea Index(AHI):60.9±27.2 Results: 2 to 6 months after the initiatin of treatment with CPAP 45.9% of patients had a residual AHIl5, whereas only 8% had residual AHIg15. There was a further resolution of treatment-emergent central sleep apnea after the initial 6 months of follow-up. Changes in the initial CPAP pressure settings were not found to be related to residual AHI improvement. Conclusions: Improvement in residual AHI of treatment-emergent central sleep apnea patients beyond the initial 6 months warrants further investigation.Changes in the initial CPAP pressure settings are not correlated to improved residual AHI