Obstructive Sleep Apnea: CPAP Under Pressure As New Market Segments Awaken

Article preview from Medtech Insight - August 2013

An estimated 15 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea severe enough to warrant treatment, but this field has been chronically underserved by traditional continuous positive airway pressure systems that are inconvenient and uncomfortable to use. To address this problem, CPAP manufacturers are making design improvements to optimize comfort and compliance; at the same time, promising new technologies are emerging – including neurostimulation devices for OSA – that could help reshape the future management of this often overlooked, but serious disorder.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea: CPAP Under Pressure As New Market Segments Awaken

Article preview from Medtech Insight - August 2013

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic and potentially serious sleep disorder that afflicts approximately 9% to 24% of men and 4% to 9% of women aged 30 to 60 years in the US, according to the Wisconsin Cohort Study, a longitudinal study that has been ongoing since 1988. Associated with increased mortality and a variety of serious health conditions, OSA is at a critical juncture in terms of its need for patient-compliant treatment options.

OSA is characterized by a decrease or complete halt in airflow while sleeping, despite an ongoing effort to breathe. It occurs when the muscles relax during sleep, causing soft tissue in the back of the throat to collapse and block the upper airway. Clinically, the condition is defined as more than five abnormal breathing disturbances (hypopneas or apneas) per hour of sleep combined with symptoms of daytime sleepiness. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has classified OSA based on the severity of the Apnea‐Hypopnea Index (AHI) as mild (AHI: 5–15), moderate (AHI: 15–30), and severe (AHI: >30). Risk factors for OSA include excess body weight, male sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, and aging.

An estimated one in 15 Americans has moderate-to-severe OSA, and although the number of US patients diagnosed with OSA has been steadily rising, the vast majority of cases today remain undiagnosed and untreated. But the condition (especially when severe) should not be taken lightly. OSA has been clinically associated with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, sudden cardiac death, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer mortality, and epilepsy, among many other serious conditions, as well as increased overall mortality risk. Over the next decade, the prevalence of diagnosed OSA is forecast to rise dramatically as the population ages and awareness of sleep-disordered breathing grows among the general public and clinicians.

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