Noninvasive ventilation during the weaning process in chronically critically ill patients.

Chronically critically ill patients often undergo prolonged mechanical ventilation. The role of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) during weaning of these patients remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the value of NIV and whether a parameter can predict the need for NIV in chronically critically ill patients during the weaning process.

Efficacy of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on 5-year survival in patients with ischaemic stroke and obstructive sleep apnea: a randomized controlled trial.

The main purpose of the present analysis is to assess the influence of introducing early nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) treatment on cardiovascular recurrences and mortality in patients with a first-ever ischaemic stroke and moderate-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥20 events h(-1) during a 5-year follow-up. Patients received conventional treatment for stroke and were assigned randomly to the nCPAP group (n = 71) or the control group (n = 69). Cardiovascular events and mortality were registered for all patients.

Reliability of telemedicine in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea syndrome.

Background: Advances in information technology and telecommunications have provided the option of making it easier to diagnose and treat obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) using telemedicine techniques. This study assessed the feasibility and reliability of respiratory polygraphy and prescription of treatment by pressure adjustment with auto-continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) systems, both being transmitted telematically to the Sleep Unit, with teleconsultation as a support method.

Subjects And Methods: Forty patients were studied from a population 80 km from the Sleep Unit using respiratory polygraphy transmitted in real time.

Automatic CPAP performance in patients with sleep apnea plus COPD.

Background: Automatic CPAP devices have demonstrated good results in obtaining optimal fixed CPAP pressure to eliminate respiratory events in patients with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS). However, automatic CPAP has not been fully studied in patients with COPD plus SAHS.

Objectives: To analyse the performance of an automatic CPAP in severe COPD patients compared with SAHS patients with no associated co-morbidity.

Management of sleep apnea: concordance between nonreference and reference centers.

Background: When a disorder is as prevalent as sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS), different medical levels and approaches should be involved in facilitating the diagnosis, at least, of patients with symptoms that disrupt social or working life, and of risk groups such as professional drivers. We sought to analyze the degree of concordance between management and treatment decisions for SAHS patients at sleep reference centers (RCs) and at non-RCs (NRCs).

Materials And Methods: Eighty-eight consecutive patients with suspected SAHS were referred by family doctors to the NRC.

Characteristics of a population of COPD patients identified from a population-based study. Focus on previous diagnosis and never smokers.

Objective: To identify factors associated with diagnosis and health-related quality of life (HRQL) impairment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients from a population-based epidemiological study.

Design And Participants: This was an epidemiologic, multicenter, population-based study. Three hundred and sixty-three individuals diagnosed with COPD from a randomly general population sample of 4035 individuals aged 40-69 were included in the analyses.

[Prevalence of and attitudes towards smoking in a population over 40 years of age].

Objectives: Smoking is the main cause of preventable death in developed countries. One of the most relevant health care interventions is convincing smokers to quit. To achieve that end, it is important to know, in addition to the prevalence of smoking, the degree of physical addiction to nicotine and smokers' attitudes toward tobacco.