WHAT IS PAP? 

Positive airway pressure therapy. Back in June 1980, Dr. Colin Sullivan first tested the idea of positive pressure applied through the nasal airway in order to alleviate obstructed passageways in his respiratory lab on a patient with severe Sleep Apnea who refused surgery.

This was the advent of the CPAP machine which is a form of positive airway pressure ventilator or pneumatic splint, which applies needed air pressure on a continuous basis. It keeps the airways continuously open in people who are able to breathe spontaneously on their own, but need help keeping their airway unobstructed.

PAP therapy is recommended for all patients with severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea and as a choice for patients that have mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

IS YOUR CPAP EFFECTIVE?

CPAP has been prescribed as a go-to therapy for patients diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep apnea and is highly effective when used consistently. Compliance to this therapy has been a problem and many research reports show that it could be as low as 27% which can limit the benefits of treatment.

Over the past 40 years there have been some refinements to the PAP therapy from CPAP to make it more comfortable for patients like Bi-PAP or APAP but its mechanism of action is basically still the same.

CPAP can be uncomfortable and inconvenient to use and can irritate one’s sleep partner. CPAP machine contains many parts while electricity and distilled water are required for it to operate. An “air blower”, a type of pump, is placed next to the bed. A hose with a mask is attached to the pump and the mask fits over the nose and/or mouth while you sleep. The air pressure from the blower is forced through the nasal passages. Usually the air pressure is adjusted, to prevent the throat from collapsing during sleep.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Over 80% of our patients are former CPAP users who have mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea or are CPAP non-compliant. What we hear most of all of why they dislike or even hate CPAP therapy fall into a few categories