Extract
Positive airway pressure (PAP) is the most effective therapy for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a condition affecting an estimated 936 million adults worldwide [1]. Adequate PAP adherence has been defined as 4 h of average use in most research studies. Many US insurance carriers and national payers, including the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), determine coverage of PAP and supplies based on this metric. If Medicare patients do not meet the threshold of 4 h per night for 70% of nights, their PAP may be confiscated in the USA [2]. This policy may have detrimental consequences for Medicare beneficiaries with OSA [3]. In France, however, a 3-h average use is required for PAP coverage, established more than 20 years ago as a legal minimal usage not corresponding to any physiological threshold.
Abstract
Suboptimal CPAP use, less than 4 h per night, may still have beneficial effects on daytime sleepiness. Removing CPAP in those who routinely use it for 2–3 h a night worsened their daytime sleepiness. http://bit.ly/36FjnF6
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: M.E. Billings has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: P. Lévy has nothing to disclose.
Conflict of interest: N. Ayas has nothing to disclose.
- Received January 23, 2020.
- Accepted January 23, 2020.
- Copyright ©ERS 2020