Medical therapy of obstructive sleep apnea

Guidelines for the medical therapy of obstructive sleep apnea are difficult to define precisely. While some elegant investigations have been completed, most study populations have been small. Also, the long-term effects of most forms of therapy are not known. Some patients will respond to a given form of therapy or combination of therapies while others will not. In most instances the responders cannot be recognized prior to the institution of therapy and a cycle of trial and error ensues. One of the best nonsurgical approaches appears to be weight loss, albeit unsuccessful in most cases. Almost all experts would agree, however, that in nonemergent situations weight loss should be strongly suggested. Nasal CPAP appears to be the single most promising device. Protriptyline may have a role, although in our opinion its true efficacy remains to be determined. Oxygen will probably serve more an adjunctive role in therapy, and medroxyprogesterone appears to be beneficial only in the treatment of the obesity-hypoventilation syndrome. A reasonable approach to the medical treatment of the obstructive sleep apnea patient should include, first, by history, physical examination, and appropriate laboratory testing, elimination of anatomically correctable, pharmacologic, or endocrinologic causes of OSA. If apnea length, degree of desaturation, cardiac arrhythmias, or levels of hypersomnolence are so severe as to be potentially life threatening, immediate tracheostomy is suggested. In specialized centers, nasal CPAP would be used. In less severely affected patients, medical management, as discussed above, should begin. We believe that in view of the lack of controlled trials demonstrating which form of therapy is best, the clinician must recommend therapy on the basis of local clinical experience and patient acceptance. Of fundamental importance is the need for serial reevaluation so that the impact of therapeutic failure can be minimized.