Bakgrund: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) är en non-invasiv behandling som bland annat används vid respiratorisk svikt. CPAP-behandling utförs inte bara på intensivvårdskliniker, vilket ställer högre utbildningskrav på sjuksköterskor verksamma inom slutenvården. Otillräcklig kunskap bland personalen leder till minskad möjlighet att tillgodose patienternas behov. I dagens sjukvård där allt fler sjuka patienter vårdas utanför intensivvårdskliniker krävs det därför regelbunden utbildning för sjuksköterskor för att kunna upprätthålla en säker vård. Syfte: Att beskriva sjuksköterskors erfarenhet av att utföra CPAP-behandling på en medicinsk slutenvårdsavdelning. Design: Kvalitativ studie med induktiv ansats Metod: Femton sjuksköterskor intervjuades på två sjukhus i Mellansverige. Den transkriberade datan analyserades med hjälp av en konventionell innehållsanalys. Fynd: Huvudfyndet i denna studie visar att sjuksköterskans erfarenhet av CPAPbehandling kännetecknas av blandade känslor. Det framkommer att sjuksköterskans utförande av CPAP-behandling påverkas av såväl frustration och osäkerhet som trygghet och säkerhet vilket är länkat till erfarenheten. Trots dessa blandade känslor leder sjuksköterskan teamet med mål att skapa en säker vård för patienten. Konklusion: Det behövs en kontinuerlig utbildning kring CPAP-behandling och ett regelbundet användande för att sjuksköterskor ska känna sig säkra och främja patientsäkerheten. / Background: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a non-invasive treatment which is useful to treat respiratory failure. CPAP-treatment is not only performed at the intensive care units, and that leads to higher demands of education for nurses in clinical wards. Insufficient knowledge among the health care staff leads to reduced ability to satisfy the patient´s needs. In today’s health care with more complex patients in general wards is regular education important for nurses to maintain quality and safety. Aim: To describe nurses´ experience of performing CPAP-treatment in medical hospital care. Design: A qualitative study, inductive. Method: Fifteen nurses were interviewed in two hospitals in Sweden. The transcribed data where analysed with qualitative content analysis. Findings: The main finding where that nurses had both positive- and negative experience of CPAP-treatment. The study shows that nurses experience feelings such as frustration and insecurity as well as safety around CPAP-treatment. Despite the mixed feelings the nurse could be a team leader with focus on quality and safety. Conclusion: A regular education and regular use of CPAP-treatment is important so the nurses feels secure and to maintain the patient safety.

ABSTRACT Patients with respiratory failure secondary to acute asthma exacerbation (AAE) frequently present at emergency units. Some patients may develop respiratory muscle fatigue. Current guidelines for the treatment of an AAE center on pharmacological treatment and invasive mechanical ventilation. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) has an established role in COPD exacerbations. The role it can play in an AAE remains unanswered although it is frequently used in the clinical setting. Aims: The present study proposed to investigate if the early use of NPPV in the forms of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or bilevel positive pressure ventilation (BPPV) together with standard medical therapy in AAE can decrease time of response to therapy compared to standard medical therapy alone. We further tested the effect of BPPV against CPAP. Methods: Asthmatic patients who presented with a severe AAE (PEFR % predicted < 60 %) at the emergency unit were randomized to either standard medical therapy (ST), ST and CPAP or ST and BPPV. Thirty patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the study. Groups presented similar baseline characteristics. The mean age for the group was 42.1 ± 12.6 years. Mean baseline PEFR % predicted was 35.2 ± 10.7 % (ST), 30.5 ± 11.7 % (ST + CPAP) and 33.5 ±13.8 % (ST + BPPV). Results: Hourly improvement (Δ) in respiratory rate and sensation of breathlessness was significantly better in the BPPV intervention group. Improvement (Δ) from baseline to end of treatment in respiratory rate and sensation of breathlessness was significant for both CPAP and BPPV (p = 0.0463; p = 0.0132 respectively) compared to ST alone. Lung function was significantly improved in the CPAP intervention group hourly and from baseline to end of treatment (p = 0.0403 for PEFR and p = 0.0293 for PEFR % predicted) compared to ST + BPPV and ST alone. The mean shift (Δ) in PEFR from baseline to 3 hours of treatment was 67.4, 123.5 and 86.8 L/min (p = 0.0445) for ST, ST + CPAP and ST + BPPV respectively. This corresponded to a 38.1, 80.8 and 51.7 % improvement in lung function respectively. Discussion: The effect of BPPV on the reduction of respiratory rate and sensation of breathlessness could be related to the inspiratory assistance provided by BPPV. The significant improvement in lung function in the CPAP group could be related to its intrinsic effect on the airway smooth muscle and / or on the airway smooth muscle load. Conclusion: The present results suggest that adding NPPV to standard treatment for an AAE not only improves clinical signs faster but also improves lung function faster. CPAP seems to have an intrinsic effect on the airway smooth muscle so rendering it more effective in ameliorating lung function.

Obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) is characterised by repeated cycles of upper airway obstruction during sleep, leading to diurnal symptoms. Individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are predisposed to this as the DS phenotype overlaps with OSAHS risk factors. Around 2-4% of the general adult population and 55% of children with DS have OSAHS but, to date, no large-scale study has assessed OSAHS prevalence or efficacy of treatment in DS adults. This study aimed to: 1) Systematically assess subjective and objective OSAHS prevalence; 2) Assess the effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in an adult DS population. Standard questionnaires including pictorial Epworth Sleepiness Scale (pESS) and Developmental Behaviour Checklist for Adults (DBC-A) were sent to UK adults aged ≥16yr with DS and their caregivers. All questionnaire responders were invited to undergo home polygraphy. Symptomatic adults with DS with ≥10 apnoeas/hypopnoeas per hour in bed (AH) on home polygraphy were invited to participate in a prospective randomised controlled trial (RCT) of CPAP v. lifestyle advice, with review at 1, 3, 6 and 12m. Participants in the lifestyle arm were offered CPAP at 1m. Standard measurements of sleepiness, behaviour, cognitive function and general health were undertaken. Standard statistical analyses were conducted, with significance set at p < 0.001 to control for multiple testing. Of 5270 questionnaires sent, 1105 responses were valid (21%). Responders (55% males) were overweight/obese young adults: mean BMI 29.0±6.8kg/m2; mean age 28±9 years. Women had a higher BMI (p < 0.0001), but collar size was greater in men (p < 0.0001). Mean pESS scores were broadly within the normal range (7±5/24). No significant gender differences in OSAHS symptoms were noted. Individuals with probable OSAHS had higher pESS and DBC-A scores, and significantly more symptoms of OSAHS. Subjective OSAHS prevalence was estimated at 35%. Of the 790 individuals invited, 149 underwent polygraphy, with 134 valid studies obtained: mean AH 21.8(10.9-42.7); mean oximetry desaturation index (ODI) 6.6(2.3-20.0). No significant gender differences were observed. Forty-two percent of participants met standard clinical diagnostic criteria for OSAHS. Twenty-eight eligible adults with DS (19 male) were randomised: age 28±9yr; BMI 31.5±7.9kg/m2; AH 28.6(14.8-47.9); ODI 7.3(1.8-21.9); pESS 11±6/24. Groups did not differ significantly at baseline. By 12m, 4 participants had withdrawn (all remaining participants on CPAP). The pESS (p=0.001), DBC-A Disruptive (p < 0.0001) and Kaufmann Brief Intelligence Test verbal subscale (p=0.001) scores improved significantly. This first large study of OSAHS prevalence in the adult DS population estimates a prevalence of 35-42% - around 10 times higher than in the general adult population. Sustained, significant improvements in sleepiness, cognitive function and behavioural/emotional outcomes with CPAP use over a 12m period were demonstrated during this first RCT of CPAP in adults with DS. A larger trial of CPAP in this population is warranted.

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is common and is caused by repetitive obstruction of the upper airway during sleep. OSA is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and is an independent risk factor for hypertension. The immediate physiological effects of OSA include intermittent hypoxia, repeated arousal from sleep and intra-thoracic pressure swings. The resulting activation of the sympathetic nervous system, systemic inflammation and oxidative stress may result in increased arterial stiffness and endothelial dysfunction, potentially explaining any causal link between OSA and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy improves excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and in non-randomised studies, reduces cardiovascular mortality. Prior to starting this study, there was a limited amount of evidence suggesting that CPAP therapy improved arterial stiffness and endothelial function, but the effects in subjects without pre-existing CVD were unclear. Aims: i) to determine whether CPAP therapy has an effect upon measures of arterial stiffness and endothelial function in patients with OSA, in the absence of known CVD. ii) To compare arterial stiffness and endothelial function in a subset of patients with OSAHS (defined as OSA and EDS), with a group of well-matched control subjects. Methods: Fifty three patients with OSA, defined as an apnoea/hypopnoea index of ≥15, and without known CVD, entered a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial of 12 weeks CPAP therapy, of whom forty three completed the study protocol. Sham CPAP was used in the placebo arm of the study and vascular assessments were made at baseline and after each arm of the study. Arterial stiffness was determined by measuring aortic distensibility using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging and by measuring the augmentation index (AIx) and aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) by applanation tonometry. Endothelial function was assessed non-invasively by measuring vascular reactivity after administration of salbutamol and glyceryl trinitrate. In a subset of twenty patients with OSAHS, arterial stiffness and endothelial function at baseline were compared to readings obtained from healthy control subjects, matched on a one-to-one basis for age, sex and BMI. Results: Patients with OSAHS (n=20) had increased arterial stiffness [AIx 19.3(10.9) vs. 12.6(10.2) %; p=0.017] and impaired endothelial function, measured as the change in AIx following salbutamol [-4.3(3.2) vs. -8.0(4.9) %; p=0.02] compared to controls. Twelve weeks of CPAP therapy had no significant effect upon any measure of arterial stiffness or endothelial function in patients with OSA (n=43). A trend towards a reduction in AIx following CPAP therapy was seen, but this was non-significant. There was a reduction in systolic blood pressure following CPAP therapy [126(12) vs. 129(14) mmHg]. Sub group analysis showed CPAP to have no effect on arterial stiffness or endothelial function in patients with EDS or in patients using CPAP for ≥4 hours per night. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that even in the absence of known CVD, patients with OSAHS have evidence of increased arterial stiffness and impaired endothelial function. However, in patients with OSA, free from CVD, CPAP therapy did not lead to an improvement in any measure of arterial stiffness or endothelial function after 12 weeks.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and asthma are potentially linked at several levels. The pathophysiology of these two conditions seems to overlap significantly, as airway obstruction, inflammation, obesity, and several other factors are implicated in the development of both diseases. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), cardiovascular complications, obesity itself, and the underlying inflammatory processes are all complex contributory factors that provide hypothetical links. Furthermore, a collateral rise in prevalence of both OSA and asthma has been noticed during the past few years, occurring in association with the emerging epidemic of obesity, a common risk factor for both conditions. OSA and asthma share many other risk factors as well. We propose a hypothetical OSA-asthma relationship that has implications on the diagnosis and management of patients presenting with either condition singly. Clinicians should be aware that OSA might complicate asthma management. Based on this hypothesis, we suggest that the treatment of the individual patient who experiences both asthma and OSA needs to be multidisciplinary and comprehensive. This hypothetical association of asthma and OSA, though described anecdotally, has not been systematically studied. In particular, the influence of continuous positive airway pressure therapy (for sleep apnea) on asthma outcomes (such as quality of life, steroid utilization, emergency room visits) and fatality needs to be studied further.

Introdução: Apneia obstrutiva do sono (AOS) é uma doença comum em pacientes com cardiomiopatia hipertrófica (CMH) e está associada de forma independente a piora nos seus parâmetros cardíacos. O tratamento da AOS com CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) é considerado benéfico em pacientes sem CMH. Contudo, o CPAP pode agudamente piorar o desempenho cardíaco em pacientes com CMH e obstrução na via de saída do ventrículo esquerdo (VSVE). Métodos: Foram estudados 26 pacientes com CMH, estáveis, divididos em 12 não-obstrutivos (CMHN-Obst) e 14 obstrutivos (CMHObst), de acordo com seu gradiente de VSVE menor ou maior que 30mmHg, respectivamente. Pacientes foram continuamente monitorados pela pressão arterial (PA) batimento-a-batimento e eletrocardiograma, em vigília e posição supina. Um ecocardiograma bidimensional foi realizado durante o repouso (Basal) a após 20 minutos de CPAP nas pressões de 1,5cmH2O e 10cmH2O, que foram aplicadas em ordem randomizada, interpostas por 10 minutos de intervalo sem CPAP. Em outra data os pacientes foram submetidos a uma polissonografia completa para diagnóstico de AOS. Resultados: Variáveis hemodinâmicas como PA, débito cardíaco, volume sistólico, frequência cardíaca, fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo e gradiente de VSVE permaneceram estáveis ao longo do estudo em ambos os grupos. Em pacientes não-obstrutivos, o CPAP em 10cmH2O reduziu área do átrio direito, a complacência do ventrículo esquerdo, bem como o relaxamento de ambos os ventrículos. Nos pacientes obstrutivos, o CPAP em 10cmH2O provocou efeitos similares no coração direito e também elevou as pressões na artéria pulmonar. No coração esquerdo, houve uma redução na área e volume do átrio esquerdo, com aumento nas áreas e volumes do jato e frações regurgitantes. A polissonografia completa demonstrou que a AOS (índice de apneia e hipopneia >= 15 eventos/hora) estava presente em 58% dos pacientes. Conclusões: O CPAP se mostrou uma alternativa segura para tratar AOS em pacientes com CMH, pois não alterou agudamente a hemodinâmica. Contudo, provocou algumas alterações na dinâmica cardíaca de pacientes obstrutivos, que devem ser considerados com cautela / Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease and is independently associated with a worse in cardiac parameters among patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The treatment of OSA with CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) is beneficial among patients without CMH. However, CPAP may acutely impair cardiac performance in patients with HCM and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. Methods: We studied 26 stable HCM patients divided in 12 nonobstructive-HCM and 14 obstructive-HCM according to their LVOT pressure gradient lower or higher than 30 mmHg, respectively. Patients were continuously monitored by beatto- beat blood pressure (BP) and electrocardiogram in the supine position while awake. A 2-dimensional echocardiography was performed at resting (Baseline) and after 20 minutes of nasal CPAP at 1.5cmH2O and 10cmH2O, that was applied in a random order interposed by 10 minutes without CPAP. In another day all patients underwent full Polysomnography for OSA diagnosis. Results: Hemodynamic variables such as BP, cardiac output, stroke volume, heart rate, left ventricular ejection fraction and LVOT gradient did not change along the study period in both groups. CPAP at 10cmH2O in nonobstructive-HCM patients decreased right atrial area, left ventricular compliance, right and left ventricular relaxation. In obstructive-HCM patients, CPAP at 10cmH2O promoted similar effects in the right heart, and also raised pulmonary artery pressure. In the left heart, there was a decrease in left atrial area and volume with increased area and volume of both, regurgitant jet and regurgitant fraction. Full Polysomnography showed that OSA (apneahypopnea index >=15 events/h) was present in 58% of HCM patients. Conclusions: CPAP showed to be safe to treat OSA and did not acutely change hemodynamics in patients with HCM. However, CPAP may acutely impair cardiac dynamics in obstructive-HCM patients and this finding should be carefully considered

Introdução: Apneia obstrutiva do sono (AOS) é uma doença comum em pacientes com cardiomiopatia hipertrófica (CMH) e está associada de forma independente a piora nos seus parâmetros cardíacos. O tratamento da AOS com CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) é considerado benéfico em pacientes sem CMH. Contudo, o CPAP pode agudamente piorar o desempenho cardíaco em pacientes com CMH e obstrução na via de saída do ventrículo esquerdo (VSVE). Métodos: Foram estudados 26 pacientes com CMH, estáveis, divididos em 12 não-obstrutivos (CMHN-Obst) e 14 obstrutivos (CMHObst), de acordo com seu gradiente de VSVE menor ou maior que 30mmHg, respectivamente. Pacientes foram continuamente monitorados pela pressão arterial (PA) batimento-a-batimento e eletrocardiograma, em vigília e posição supina. Um ecocardiograma bidimensional foi realizado durante o repouso (Basal) a após 20 minutos de CPAP nas pressões de 1,5cmH2O e 10cmH2O, que foram aplicadas em ordem randomizada, interpostas por 10 minutos de intervalo sem CPAP. Em outra data os pacientes foram submetidos a uma polissonografia completa para diagnóstico de AOS. Resultados: Variáveis hemodinâmicas como PA, débito cardíaco, volume sistólico, frequência cardíaca, fração de ejeção do ventrículo esquerdo e gradiente de VSVE permaneceram estáveis ao longo do estudo em ambos os grupos. Em pacientes não-obstrutivos, o CPAP em 10cmH2O reduziu área do átrio direito, a complacência do ventrículo esquerdo, bem como o relaxamento de ambos os ventrículos. Nos pacientes obstrutivos, o CPAP em 10cmH2O provocou efeitos similares no coração direito e também elevou as pressões na artéria pulmonar. No coração esquerdo, houve uma redução na área e volume do átrio esquerdo, com aumento nas áreas e volumes do jato e frações regurgitantes. A polissonografia completa demonstrou que a AOS (índice de apneia e hipopneia >= 15 eventos/hora) estava presente em 58% dos pacientes. Conclusões: O CPAP se mostrou uma alternativa segura para tratar AOS em pacientes com CMH, pois não alterou agudamente a hemodinâmica. Contudo, provocou algumas alterações na dinâmica cardíaca de pacientes obstrutivos, que devem ser considerados com cautela / Background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease and is independently associated with a worse in cardiac parameters among patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The treatment of OSA with CPAP (Continuous positive airway pressure) is beneficial among patients without CMH. However, CPAP may acutely impair cardiac performance in patients with HCM and left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. Methods: We studied 26 stable HCM patients divided in 12 nonobstructive-HCM and 14 obstructive-HCM according to their LVOT pressure gradient lower or higher than 30 mmHg, respectively. Patients were continuously monitored by beatto- beat blood pressure (BP) and electrocardiogram in the supine position while awake. A 2-dimensional echocardiography was performed at resting (Baseline) and after 20 minutes of nasal CPAP at 1.5cmH2O and 10cmH2O, that was applied in a random order interposed by 10 minutes without CPAP. In another day all patients underwent full Polysomnography for OSA diagnosis. Results: Hemodynamic variables such as BP, cardiac output, stroke volume, heart rate, left ventricular ejection fraction and LVOT gradient did not change along the study period in both groups. CPAP at 10cmH2O in nonobstructive-HCM patients decreased right atrial area, left ventricular compliance, right and left ventricular relaxation. In obstructive-HCM patients, CPAP at 10cmH2O promoted similar effects in the right heart, and also raised pulmonary artery pressure. In the left heart, there was a decrease in left atrial area and volume with increased area and volume of both, regurgitant jet and regurgitant fraction. Full Polysomnography showed that OSA (apneahypopnea index >=15 events/h) was present in 58% of HCM patients. Conclusions: CPAP showed to be safe to treat OSA and did not acutely change hemodynamics in patients with HCM. However, CPAP may acutely impair cardiac dynamics in obstructive-HCM patients and this finding should be carefully considered

Thesis (MMed) -- Stellenbosch University, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Introduction: Limited facilities exist at rural hospitals for the management of newborn infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Furthermore, the secondary and tertiary hospitals are under severe strain to accept all the referrals from rural hospitals. Many of these infants require intubation and ventilation with a resuscitation bag which must be sustained for hours until the transport team arrives. Not only is lung damage inflicted by the prolonged ventilation, but transferring the infant by helicopter and ambulance is expensive. CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), a non-invasive form of ventilatory support, has been used successfully at regional (Level 2) and tertiary (Level 3) neonatal units, to manage infants with RDS. It is cost-effective for infants with mild to moderate grades of RDS to be managed at the rural hospital instead of being transferred to the regional secondary or tertiary hospital. CPAP was introduced to Ceres Hospital, a rural Level 1 hospital, in February 2008 for the management of infants with RDS. Aim: To determine the impact of CPAP on the management of infants with RDS in a rural level 1 hospital and whether it can reduce the number of referrals to regional hospitals. Study setting: Nursery at Ceres District Hospital, Cape Winelands District, Western Cape. Study design: Prospective cohort analytical study with an historic control group (HCG). Patients and Methods: The study group (SG) comprised all neonates with respiratory distress born between 27/02/2008 and 26/02/2010. The infants were initially resuscitated with a Neopuff® machine in labour-ward and CPAP was commenced for those with RDS. The survival and referral rates of the SG were compared to an historic control group (HCG) of infants born between 1/2/2006 to 31/01/2008 at Ceres Hospital. Results: During the 2 years of the study, 51 neonates received CPAP (34 <1800g, 17>1800g). Twenty (83%) of the SG infants between 1000g and 1800g and 23 (68%) of the infants between 500g and 1800g survived. Those <1800g that failed CPAP, had either a severe grade of RDS which required intubation and ventilation or were <1000g. Seventeen (33%) of the infants that received CPAP, were in the >1800g group. Thirteen (76%) of these infants were successfully treated with CPAP only. The four infants that failed CPAP suffered from congenital abnormalities and would not have benefited from CPAP. There was no statistically significant difference in the survival between the SG and HCG (80%) (p=0.5490) but the number of referrals decreased significantly from 21% in the HCG to 7% in the SG (p=0.0003). No complications related to CPAP treatment, such as pneumothorax, were noted. The nursing and medical staff quickly became proficient and confident in applying CPAP and were committed to the project. Conclusion: CPAP can be safely and successfully practised in infants with mild to moderate RDS in a rural Level 1 hospital. The survival rate stayed the same as the HCG, even though a higher risk infants were treated in the SG. The transfers were significantly reduced from 21% to 7%. This resulted in significant cost savings for the hospital. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: geen opsomming