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Obstructive
sleep apnea
A silent epidemic
of individuals are unaware they suffer from Sleep Apnea2
of the world’s population suffer from Sleep Apnea1
A severe and under-diagnosed disease2
The syndrome has a direct effect on quality of life and health:
- Excessive sleepiness during the day can lead to decreased attention, affecting one’s ability to work, socialize, think clearly, operate machinery or drive automobiles
- Repeated apnea places stress on the heart because it creates a lack of oxygen in the blood. This can result in high blood pressure and severe cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks or strokes
Although a widespread condition, about 80% of individuals are unaware they suffer from Obstructive Sleep apnea2, and therefore go untreated.
Long-term treatments
There are a variety of treatment options available to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Among them are: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), mandibular advancement device, loss of weight or surgery in some cases.
Patient adherence is key
The standard treatment3 is CPAP, which consists of a ventilator connected to a mask that delivers a constant flow of air to keep airways open during sleep.
As for any long-term treatment, patient adherence is key. In the case of the Obstructive Sleep apnea, patients often feel that CPAP treatment is constraining and unpleasant. Consequently, 50% stop CPAP treatment after one month4.
Our commitment to patient quality of life
At Air?Liquide Healthcare, we are committed to patient quality of life and passionate about creating close dialogue with patients and physicians and engaging healthcare stakeholders for continuous improvement.
Our primary concern in the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome is patient comfort and compliance with CPAP therapy.
Services to support obstructive sleep apnea patients
Once a physician diagnoses a patient with OSAS, trained nurses or technicians can adapt the appropriate solution and accompany patients to ensure their compliance.
Throughout treatment, home healthcare providers support patients and prescribers through education, compliance enhancement and telemonitoring.
With the support of the home healthcare provider, physicians can help increase patient compliance, quality of life and the effectiveness of CPAP therapy.
References:
- The World Health Organization. Chronic respiratory diseases www.who.int/gard/publications/chronic_respiratory_diseases.pdf viewed 04/10/2015
- Kapur V et al. The Medical cost of undiagnosed sleep apnea. Sleep. 1999; 22(6):749-55.
- AASM. Journal of clinical Sleep medicine, vol.5, no.3, 2009
- Can Respir J vol.15, no.7, October 2008