Impact of heated humidification with automatic positive airway pressure in obstructive sleep apnea therapy.

Objective: To study the impact that heated humidification instituted in the beginning of automatic positive airway pressure (APAP) therapy has on compliance with and the side effects of the treatment.

Methods: Thirty-nine treatment-naïve patients with obstructive sleep apnea were randomized into two groups to receive APAP using one of two modalities: with heated humidification (APAPwith group); and without heated humidification (APAPw/o group).Patients were evaluated at 7 and 30 days after APAP initiation. The following parameters were analyzed: compliance with treatment (mean number of hours/night); side effects (dry nose or mouth, nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea); daytime sleepiness (Epworth sleepiness scale score) and subjective comfort (visual analog scale score). Patients were also evaluated in terms of residual apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), as well as mean pressures and leaks registered in the ventilators.

Results: There were no differences between the two groups in terms of mean age (APAPwith: 57.4 +/- 9.2; APAPw/o: 56.5 +/- 10.7 years), AHI (APAPwith: 28.1 +/- 14.0; APAPw/o: 28.8 +/- 20.5 events/hour of sleep), baseline Epworth score (APAPwith: 11.2 +/- 5.8; APAPw/o: 11.9 +/- 6.3) and initial nasal symptoms. Compliance was similar in both groups (APAPwith: 5.3 +/- 2.4; APAPw/o: 5.2 +/- 2.3 h/night). There were no differences in any of the other parameters analyzed.

Conclusions: The introduction of heated humidification at the beginning of APAP therapy provided no advantage in terms of treatment compliance or side effects of treatment.