Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)

The respiratory therapy that offers the bests chances of successfully treating night respiratory problems is called “CPAP” (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure).

Air is supplied to the patient by means of a face mask. This builds up positive pressure in the nasopharyngeal cavity, which keeps the respiratory system open during sleep. With careful application of night breathing therapy, the daily symptoms, such as tiredness, drowsiness and depression, can usually be eliminated completely.

Practical procedure with the CPAP approach:

To get used to breathing with the equipment, the patient should practice with the equipment and the mask while awake during the day before using it at night. At first, only a small positive pressure is used, in order to let the patient adjust to the method. It is important to overcome the patient's fear and uncertainty.

After acclimatization in the sleep laboratory, the optimal CPAP pressure is adjusted. If the pressure is not sufficient, it is increased by remote-controlled equipment until snoring disappears completely and the breathing breaks are eliminated. Since the most pronounced and longest apnea phases occur in the early morning hours, measurement must always be carried out during the entire night.

The equipment must be used each night. Without CPAP therapy, the apnea phases, and thus daily tiredness, return to the levels experienced before treatment began. It takes about 6 weeks of successful treatment before it can be fully adjusted. More than 70% of all patients use the equipment for longer than 2 years.