TY - JOUR AU - Schwarz, Esther I. AU - Stradling, John R. AU - Kohler, Malcolm PY - 2018 TI - Physiological consequences of CPAP therapy withdrawal in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea—an opportunity for an efficient experimental model JF - Journal of Thoracic Disease; Vol 10, Supplement 1 (January 24, 2018): Journal of Thoracic Disease (Dedicated to the 3rd Clinical Update Sleep: International Conference 2018, Endorsed by ERS) Y2 - 2018 KW - N2 - Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are time consuming, and their findings often inconclusive or limited due to suboptimal CPAP adherence in CPAP-naïve patients with OSA. Short-term CPAP withdrawal in patients with prior optimal CPAP adherence results in recurrence of OSA and its consequences. Thus, this experimental model serves as an efficient tool to investigate both the consequences of untreated OSA, and potential treatment alternatives to CPAP. The CPAP withdrawal protocol has been thoroughly validated, and applied in several RCTs focusing on cardiovascular and metabolic consequences of untreated OSA, as well as the assessment of treatment alternatives to CPAP. UR - https://jtd.amegroups.org/article/view/18309