Positive airway pressure: Making an impact on sleep apnea

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Figure 1
Obstructed airway (left) is pened with a column of air delivered using positive airway pressure therapy (right).
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Figure 2
Download of positive airway pressure use data for a month (A) and leak data for a night (B).
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Figure 3
Sleep study overview showing rapid eye movement sleep (arrow/black bar) associated with increased arousals and apneic events and decreased oxygen levels.

TABLE 1

Home-base continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) desensitization protocol

Step 1:	Turn on the CPAP device, hold the mask in front of the face, and breathe calmly for a few minutes. Repeat this several times a day until comfortable, then proceed to step 2.
Step 2:	With the mask unattached from the CPAP device, place the mask on the face for 15 minutes at a time while doing normal daily activities. Repeat several times until comfortable, then proceed to step 3.
Step 3:	Use the mask attached to the CPAP device for short daytime naps. Repeat several times until comfortable, then proceed to step 4.
Step 4:	Use CPAP at night.