Supplemental oxygen in OSA following CPAP withdrawal
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effects of supplemental oxygen on obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and its vascular consequences during continuous positive airway pressure therapy withdrawal
IRAS ID
163623
Contact name
John Stradling
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford, Clinical Trials & Research Governance Office, University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a sleep-related breathing problem. In OSAS the back of the throat collapses during sleep, causing pauses in breathing (an apnoea), falls in oxygen levels and waking the patient from sleep many times an hour (an arousal). Because of this patients are not only sleepy during the daytime but also higher daytime blood pressure. This puts them at risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Currently the best treatment for OSAS is continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP). This is a breathing mask worn at night, blowing air onto the back of the throat at night and holding it open. This stops the throat from collapsing, stops falls in oxygen levels and stops large changes in pressure swings in the chest seen with an apnoea. CPAP treatment is effective in making patients less sleepy during the daytime and in improves daytime blood pressure.
It is not known whether it is the falls in oxygen levels, the arousal or the pressure changes that cause the rise in daytime blood pressure. Oxygen treatment is given long term to patients with other chronic lung diseases safely like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). By giving patients oxygen overnight instead of CPAP we aim to study the effect of stopping oxygen levels falling (intermittent hypoxia) on blood pressure, without affecting apnoeas or arousals.
In this study we will look at the effect of giving oxygen overnight to OSAS patients previously treated with CPAP. It is a randomised cross- over study so patients will get both treatment (oxygen) overnight and separately placebo (air) overnight instead of their normal CPAP for 14 days. This will help to understand the role intermittent hypoxia in causing blood pressure changes during the daytime and may provide an alternate treatment for patients who cannot tolerate CPAP.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/SC/0007
Date of REC Opinion
20 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion