Respiratory medicine
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Respiratory medicine · Apr 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialA randomized trial of auto-titrating CPAP and fixed CPAP in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) remains the treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea (OSAH). Auto-titrating CPAP (APAP) devices automatically adjust pressure and may improve treatment compliance compared to fixed CPAP (F-CPAP). ⋯ A-PAP was as effective as F-CPAP in the treatment of OSAH but was not associated with fewer side effects, better compliance, better satisfaction or increased patient preference.
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Respiratory medicine · Apr 2004
Risk factors of emergency care and admissions in COPD patients with high consumption of health resources.
This study is a case-control study looking to identify factors associated with frequent use of hospital services (emergency care and admissions) in COPD patients. Data from 64 patients with moderate-severe COPD (FEV1/FVC < or = 70, FEV1 < or = 50%) were prospectively collected, 32 cases with high consumption of health resources (COPD-HC) and 32 controls. COPD-HC was defined as a patient diagnosed of COPD requiring during one year: (1) two or more hospitalizations; (2) three or more emergency visits; or (3) one admission and two emergency visits. ⋯ For each point of worsened quality of life, the risk of hospital care increased 1.06-fold (95%CI: 1.01-1.10). Although a severity bias related to the presence of long-acting beta2-agonists in the final regression equation cannot be ruled out, the variables associated in our sample to an increased utilization of hospital services are the regular use of inhaled salmeterol, the presence of cardiac arrhythmias, and an impaired health-related quality of life. The use of specific strategies aimed at modulating these aspects could, at least in theory, reduce the number of exacerbations requiring hospital care, with the resultant individual and collective benefits derived.
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Respiratory medicine · Apr 2004
Computed tomographic evaluation of the role of craniofacial and upper airway morphology in obstructive sleep apnea in Chinese.
To evaluate the relationship between cephalometric parameters, upper airway morphological factors and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in Chinese subjects. ⋯ Craniofacial factors and upper airway morphology contributed to severity of OSA in Chinese subjects. Having controlled for obesity, more retropositioned mandible was associated with more severe OSA.