RE: No reduction in heart attacks for cpap users
(08-29-2016, 07:05 AM)richb Wrote: (08-29-2016, 12:47 AM)srlevine1 Wrote: I suggest you read the study for yourself and draw your own conclusions. Mine were "ho hum" let's get funding for the next study.
The "conclusion" should read "non-compliant use of CPAP is no different than non use of CPAP among cardiac patients."
Non compliance is a major problem for Apnea sufferers and those paying for their therapy. Insurance companies and Medicare do what they can to force compliance during the first few months of therapy but lose control in the long run. This study should or could be used to encourage CPAP users to use their machines all night every night. To put this perspective I could get an average compliance of 3.3 hours per night by using my machine for 3 nights per week.
Rich
Well said!
"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius
RE: No reduction in heart attacks for cpap users
The criteria for study selection or exclusion is provided here
http://www.nejm.org/doi/suppl/10.1056/NE...pendix.pdf . Among other things, users with previous CPAP use were excluded. So the study excludes as a cohort anyone with heart conditions that already use CPAP. Also, the study used "sham CPAP" which is just CPAP set a sub-therapeutic levels. Some PAP is not zero, so this may also have affected results. With the low useage, and low expectations for therapeutic CPAP results, I'm not surprised the study did not find significant benefits. Another surprise, the study sponsor was Philips Respironics.
RE: No reduction in heart attacks for cpap users
Quote:Another surprise, the study sponsor was Philips Respironics
I bet they want their money back! At least this demonstrates that not all Big Pharma / Big CPAP sponsored trials suppress unfavourable outcomes.
I'm just surprised that so much money was spent on such a poorly designed study. I think it further demonstrates that many in the sleep medicine industry are out of touch with the realities of this disease and its treatment.
RE: No reduction in heart attacks for cpap users
3.3 hours of use! This means they are either sleep deprived because they're sleeping 3.3 hours, or they're sleep-deprived because they're sleeping 3.3 hours with the machine and the rest of the night without the machine. Either way, the therapy is not ineffective. Well, duhh!
The only thing surprising is the the claim that 3.3 hours of use is a typical amount. Maybe that's typical if you have a death wish and actually want to die of a heart attack or stroke!
Sleepster
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