Outcome of Public Hospital-Funded Continuous Positive Airway Therapy Device for Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: An Australian Perspective Study

Purpose: This study evaluated the clinical and quality of life amongst patients issued with a public hospital-funded continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device via a dedicated CPAP clinic. Method: Patients studied were eligible to have received a free public-funded CPAP device, through income and clinical criteria. Socio-demographics, medical co-morbidities, CPAP usage and problems with CPAP, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) symptoms and quality of life before and after CPAP therapy were analysed. Results: A total of 88 patients were included, 56 (63.6%) were males, mean age 70.4 ± 13.0 years and body mass index (BMI) 35.7 ± 9.5 kg/m². The mean duration of OSA diagnosis was 7.4 ± 4.7 years. Hypertension was present in 68%, diabetes 42% and atrial fibrillation in 27%. Prior to CPAP therapy, most common symptoms reported were snoring (76%), unrefreshing sleep (76%) and daytime fatigue and low energy levels (67%). Improvement with CPAP therapy reported were snoring (81%), disturbing partner’s sleep (81%) and observed apnoeic episodes (80%). About 61% were adherent to therapy (≥ 4 h/night for 70% of the nights). Patients who were adherent to CPAP therapy reported higher percentage of symptom improvement. Dryness of mouth was the most common adverse symptom reported (61%) and overall 73% reported improvement in quality of life with CPAP therapy. Conclusion: Public hospital-funded CPAP device has shown to improve OSA-related symptoms and improve quality of life. However, adherence to CPAP therapy was less than desired, but higher than previously reported studies that may be related to receipt of CPAP device with eligibility criteria.