PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - J. Peter Van Maanen
AU  - Nico De Vries
TI  - Long-term evaluation of positional therapy with the sleep position trainer (SPT) in the treatment of positional obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (POSA)
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P2015
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2015.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P2015.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - Study ObjectivesTo investigate long-term compliance and effects on subjective sleep parameters in a group of POSA patients using the SPT for a period of 6 months.MethodsMulticentre, prospective, observational study. Patients older than 18 years with mild to moderate POSAwere enrolled from 18 participating hospitals in the Netherlands. Patients slept with the Sleep Position Trainer (SPT), strapped to the chest, for a period of 6 months (or less when the device was not tolerated well). The SPT measures body position and vibrates when the patient lies in supine position. Patients filled in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at inclusion and after 1, 3 and 6 months. Patients' inclusion and follow up was in the period of February 2012 to February 2013.Results145 POSA patients were included. 106 patients registered online and uploaded their SPT data to the online database. Compliance, defined as use of the SPT for at least four hours per night, was 64.4%. During the 6 months follow up median ESS changed from 11 to 7, FOSQ from 91 to 103, PSQI from 7 to 6. Median percentage of supine sleep decreased rapidly after therapy started and this decrease was stable over time.ConclusionThe SPT applied for 6 months seems a successful and well-tolerated treatment for patients with POSA, which diminishes subjective sleepiness, improves sleep-related quality of life and effectively reduces percentage of supine sleep time. Further research, especially in comparing its efficacy to other treatments, is ongoing.