 | Tina Lohrman has more than 13 years of experience as both a clinician and an educator of respiratory conditions. She is the lead Respiratory Therapist at Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, an affiliate of HealthSouth providing inpatient and outpatient physical, occupational and speech/language therapies. Tina can be reached at Wesley Rehabilitation Hospital, 8338 W. 13th Street in Wichita, call 316-729-9999 or e-mail tina.lohrman@healthsouth.com |
Health & Medicine
2005-12-29 10:13:00
Sleep apnea - a solution
: Can you explain how CPAP therapy is used to treat Sleep Apnea ?
ANSWER: Sleep apnea is a condition which occurs when a person stops breathing for a period of time during sleep. The most common type of sleep apnea is called OSA, otherwise known as obstructive sleep apnea. During sleep, a portion of the airway collapses causing an obstruction. This obstruction impedes air movement to and from the lungs resulting in a lack of oxygen to the body. OSA is treated through the use of CPAP. CPAP is a noninvasive therapy which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. The CPAP machine is preset to a patient specific pressure setting. During sleep, air flows from the CPAP machine into a mask or nasal device placed on the face. The air flow provides pressure to the airway to keep the obstruction from occurring resulting in proper oxygenation. Once sleep apnea has been diagnosed, it is important for the patient to work closely with the sleep technician and physician to find a device that is tolerable for them. Device discomfort is the number one reason patients discontinue CPAP. It is of the upmost importance to wear the CPAP device each time sleep occurs including naps. If the CPAP is not being used, the patient will experience some or all of the following: excessive tiredness which may result in vehicle crashes, loud snoring, headache, memory/concentration problems, personality changes. The long term risks of not treating sleep apnea through the use of CPAP include high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, heart disease and stroke.
