Healthcare: Air Liquide acts for the prevention and research on sleep apnea

On the occasion of the ERS's (European Respiratory Society) annual international seminar, which is held in Amsterdam from 27 to 30 September, Air Liquide Healthcare launches a website entirely dedicated to sleep apnea www.all-about-sleep-apnea.com, and presents results of a study comparing medical devices for the treatment of this syndrome, performed with Air Liquide Healthcare’s support.

Sleep apnea syndrome is a sleeping disorder characterized by repetitive brief interruptions in breathing. It is estimated that between 1 and 6% of the global population suffers from it¹. It has a direct effect on quality of life and health, and can also lead to serious cardiovascular disorders, like heart attacks and cerebrovascular accidents (CVA).

Although this condition is widespread, around 80% of people concerned are not aware that they suffer from obstructive sleep apnea². As a key player in the care of patients suffering from this disease, Air Liquide Healthcare is committed to informing the general public and promoting dialogue with patients and healthcare professionals thanks to this new dedicated website www.all-about-sleep-apnea.com. Aimed at users and patients, this site is organized by the main themes that interest them. It contains a variety of sections with written or video testimonials from patients and medical experts. A twitter account has also been created to relay key information (twitter account address: @SleepApneaAbout).

Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is the leading treatment³ for sleep-disordered breathing. Air Liquide Healthcare supported the first bench evaluation aiming to compare the therapeutic efficacy of 11 auto-titrating positive airway pressure (APAP). Carried out by Doctor Sami Aouf and Mr Kaixian Zhu of the medico-technical department of Air Liquide Home Healthcare activity in Europe, in collaboration with the team of Professor Pierre Escourrou of the Antoine-Béclère hospital in Clamart, this study will enable to improve the treatment's therapeutic efficacy as well as compliance. The results of this study were published in the scientific publication “Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine”⁴.

¹ World Health Organisation. Chronic respiratory diseases
www.who.int/gard/publications/chronic_respiratory_diseases.pdf viewed 04/10/2015
² Kapur V et al. The Medical cost of undiagnosed sleep apnea. Sleep. 1999; 22(6): 749-55.
³ Clinical Guidelines for the Manual Titration of Positive Airway Pressure in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Positive Airway Pressure Titration Task Force of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Vol. 4, No. 2, 2008
⁴ All APAPs are not equivalent for the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing: a bench evaluation of 11commercially available devices” (J Clin Sleep Med. 2015 Jan 26. pii: jc-00288-14). Links to the article: [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25766708] and [www.aasmnet.org/jcsm/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=30091].