Positional OSA part 2: retrospective cohort analysis with a new classification system (APOC)

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine
• Medical Device Technology

Background:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a prevalent condition requiring effective treatment strategies.
• Positional Therapy (PT) is emerging as a viable treatment option for OSA, particularly with new generation devices.
• The Amsterdam Positional Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Classification (APOC) was developed to identify patients most likely to benefit from PT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of position-dependent obstructive sleep apnoea (POSA) using the APOC classification.
• To investigate the association between POSA and patient characteristics such as Body Mass Index (BMI) and Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index (AHI).
• To evaluate the utility of APOC in selecting patients for positional therapy.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, single-centre cohort study was conducted.
• Polysomnography (PSG) data from 253 OSA patients, collected between April and October 2010, were analyzed.
• The APOC classification was applied to assess POSA prevalence.

Main Results:

• The prevalence of POSA was found to be 69% when using the APOC classification, compared to 64% with Cartwright's classification.
• An inverse relationship was observed between POSA and BMI.
• A similar inverse relationship was noted between POSA and the Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index (AHI).

Conclusions:

• The APOC classification is a suitable tool for identifying patients who will benefit from PT.
• APOC can contribute to more cost-efficient OSA treatment by enabling targeted patient selection for PT.
• Further validation of APOC in diverse patient populations is warranted.