Largest Sleep Apnea Trial Backs CPAP For Improving QoL, Not For Lowering Secondary Cardio Events

In the largest sleep apnea study ever conducted, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) did not appear to lower the risk of cardiovascular adverse events including cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or hospitalization for unstable angina in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and known cardiovascular disease. However, patients in the trial only used CPAP a few hours a night, on average, indicating that an easier-to-use version of CPAP might yield better outcomes.

Woman wearing CPAP machine for sleep apnea
Continuous positive airway pressure machine to treat sleep apnea • Source: Shutterstock: Brian Chase

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) had no significant effect on the risk of recurrent serious cardiovascular events in patients with cardiovascular disease and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea in the Sleep Apnea Cardiovascular Endpoints (SAVE) trial, the largest sleep apnea study ever.

However, results from SAVE, published online by the New England Journal of Medicine on Aug

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