Air Liquide and the sleep apnea  [ Return towards  Sleep apnea  ]

A major actor in home health care throughout the world and present in thirty countries, the Group is offering sleep apnea patients overall treatment based on the CPAP technique. The effectiveness of this treatment depends on its duration of use and strict compliance

An overall…

Air Liquide supplies patients with the suitable medical equipment, installs it in their home and trains them to use it.

The regularity with which the patient wears the equipment (daily frequency of use, number of hours each night, etc.) is the guarantee of the treatment's optimal effectiveness. In 2009 in France, Air Liquide launched an innovative personalized support program for sleep apnea patients: VitalPPC. This program will be introduced on an international scale from 2010.

In addition to traditional monitoring at home by technicians, telephone support by nurses and new educational tools will be offered to doctors for their sleep apnea patients. The aim is obviously to increase patient motivation and compliance for a more effective treatment and a better quality of life.

… and worldwide treatment

Air Liquide offers sleep disorder treatment in most European countries and is constantly strengthening its international presence through new acquisitions. In 2009, the Group continued its global development strategy with the acquisition of Comcare Medical in the Netherlands and Air Separation in Tunisia, and the opening of its first center for sleep apnea patients in the Lebanon.

Considerable potential exists today in China though, where the group opened a sleep center in Shenzhen in January 2009, and then in Beijing in March.

Key figures

  • SAS affects 5 % of the population but 80% of individuals are unaware of their diagnosis.
  • Untreated SAS multiplies by 6 the risk of road traffic accidents and coronary incidents.
  • More than 500,000 patients worldwide are treated at home by 7,800 dedicated Air Liquide employees.

More about

Sleep apnea

Documentation

for the 2012 Annual General Meeting

Annual Report



Interactive Annual Report 2011 (pdf)

Annual Report 2011 (pdf)

Reference Document 2011 (pdf)