Study: "CPAP machines do not reduce heart attack, strokes"

[palerider]

I am now going to my "quiet place".

Shame on Granny, traumatizing you like that *comfort*

[jnk...]

Yeah, I HATED dissecting all those vice grips in shop class--made me SICK!

[Julie]

[Hosehead4ever]

I'm with Granny - must have been funded by a dental appliance company...

49er, I did not say that, and Katy has edited it out of her post. Please edit it out of yours.

I am not as knee-jerk cynical about medical researchers as many here are.

It is a poor study. Why was the study so poor? I don't know.

Sorry Granny - I edited it out as soon as I realized my mistake. I am cynical about research funding but didn't mean to put words in your mouth.

[ChicagoGranny]

Oh, the words weren't bad. But, the ellipsis at the end tickled.

[Pneumophile]

Yeah, I HATED dissecting all those vice grips in shop class--made me SICK!

I take it you never graduated to monkey wrenches then ....

[Pneumophile]

I am cynical about research funding but didn't mean to put words in your mouth.

How was I supposed to sup ale for all those years without research funding? Have a heart ....

[chunkyfrog]

Your sympathy is appreciated.
(Looking away again)

[raisedfist]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2679572/

Long-term compliance with continuous positive airway pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea


"At the time of the interview (64.0±3.7 months after diagnosis), 43 of 80 patients (54%) were still using CPAP and most reported an improvement in symptoms. Twelve of 80 patients (15%) had abandoned CPAP after using it for 10.1±15.5 months, and 25 of 80 patients (31%) had never commenced therapy after initial diagnosis and CPAP titration."

First study I opened on Google, and 31% NEVER EVEN STARTED the CPAP therapy after having a sleep study and given a diagnosis

[billbolton]

So basically, they're saying CPAP doesn't work....

In fact they said that xPAP does work.

They're saying it doesn't fix non-OSA related pre-existing conditions - there's no surprise at all there

[Pneumophile]

So basically, they're saying CPAP doesn't work....

In fact they said that xPAP does work.

They're saying it doesn't fix non-OSA related pre-existing conditions - there's no surprise at all there

What they SHOULD have concluded is that very poor compliance with CPAP devices did not significantly improve CV outcomes for newly diagnosed OSA patients who had previously been diagnosed with CV conditions ......and that next time they would conduct a proper study in which data from highly compliant OSA patients would be used in a primary, well-powered analysis of CV endpoints.

There's nothing wrong with ALSO studying poorly compliant patients in such a study - they will likely be present in significant numbers in the dataset no matter how hard you try to educate newly enrolled patients and how rigorously you monitor compliance during the study. These data could be separately compared with 1) the standard of care group, and 2) the high compliance group.

Of course this will take more time and cost more money than the present study. Sometimes good science doesn't come cheap.

[Goofproof]

All I got from it, those who used XPAP, incorrectly for 3 or 4 hours a day, we're able to breath 45 seconds longer while drowning in De-NILE, than the group that didn't use their XPAP'S at all. Jim

[Pneumophile]

All I got from it, those who used XPAP, incorrectly for 3 or 4 hours a day, we're able to breath 45 seconds longer while drowning in De-NILE, than the group that didn't use their XPAP'S at all. Jim

You said it Jim. You should have written the editorial accompanying the paper in the New England Journal.

[archangle]

So many things wrong here. Needs more than one post.

Let's see. 3.3 hours of CPAP usage over an "average" 8 hours of sleep. Let's be generous and call that 50% usage.

Let's try a study where diabetics spend one week watching what they eat, testing blood sugar, and taking insulin, alternated with one week of no treatment, and eating whatever they want.

How about one week on/off cycles for

Pacemakers
Blood pressure medicine
Arrhythmia medicine
Seizure meds
Anti-cholesterol meds
Anti-psychotic meds
Blood thinners
Alcohol abstinence for alcoholics

[archangle]

I wonder how much of the fault here lies with ABC news vs. the authors of this study.

ABC chose to title the article:

"CPAP machines do not reduce heart attack, strokes for sleep apnoea sufferers: study"

How about if they titled it:

"Part night usage of CPAP does not reduce heart attack, strokes for people with existing cardiovascular disease: study"