Autotitration devices

Just want to share this with all of you. There is also info on CPAP and Bilevel therapy.

Link: http://www.breathingdisorders.com/overview.htm

Autotitration devices are positive airway pressure devices used in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and represent a technological and therapeutic breakthrough for positive pressure therapy.

They are intelligent therapeutic devices that decrease pressure when the upper airway is stable and increase pressure in response to airway events such as apneas, hypopneas, flow limitation, and snoring. Autotitration devices are designed to deliver mean pressures below what a clinician must prescribe on a CPAP device. They do this by delivering only the pressure that is necessary at any given time.

Because autotitration devices vary pressure in response to events, they may be particularly suited to patients with REM-related apnea, positional apnea, or patients who are noncompliant with standard CPAP therapy. These patients will receive pressure when they need it; however, between event-laden periods the pressure will decrease.

Autotitration Devices Are Not Created Equal
Autotitration devices differ greatly from one manufacturer to another. Each manufacturer uses a different algorithm that responds to different parameters, so you will find greater variance between two autotitration devices than you will between two CPAP devices. Clinicians should ask each manufacturer for validation of their algorithm.

In addition, not all autotitration devices actually titrate the patient. Some machines require a sleep lab titration that acts as a starting point for a range of therapeutic pressure. While these devices are not truly automatic titration devices, they may increase patient comfort.

ResMed's AutoSet T has been clinically validated in a number of studies published in peer-reviewed journals.1,2,3 The AutoSet T delivers lower mean pressures (37% lower4) than a CPAP device, reducing side effects and increasing patient comfort and compliance. ResMed's AutoSet T responds to events preemptively by monitoring the patient's flow-time curve on a breath-by-breath basis. Instead of waiting for an event to occur, the AutoSet T is able to prevent many events from taking place, thereby delivering more efficacious therapy at lower overall pressures.