Study: PAP adherence can reduce hospitalizations

INDIANAPOLIS – People with heart failure and obstructive sleep apnea can significantly reduce hospitalizations and ER visits, as well as related costs, by being adherent with PAP therapy, according to two recent studies. 

The studies were supported by ResMed and presented at SLEEP 2023. 

One study analyzed 1,472 people with OSA and systolic heart failure, with exactly half adherent on PAP therapy and half non-adherent. The adherent patients had 24% fewer ER visits and incurred 40% lower costs related to hospitalizations and ER visits over one year ($3,500 vs. $5,879) compared to non-adherent patients. 

The second study analyzed 1,926 people with OSA and diastolic heart failure – again, half adherent, half non-adherent. The adherent patients had 36% fewer ER visits, 57% fewer hospitalizations and incurred 18% lower related costs (an average $12,732 vs. $15,610) over one year.  

The studies hold significant implications for managing heart failure patients, since 76% of them also have sleep apnea. 

“Since three out of four people with heart failure also have sleep apnea, these findings underscore the significant role PAP treatment plays in keeping people healthy and out of the hospital,” said Fatima Sert Kuniyoshi, MSc, PhD, lead author and ResMed clinical research director. “I hope this leads to a greater emphasis on PAP prescription and monitoring for the sake of patients, as well as the hospitals and ERs, that would otherwise require added beds and resources to care for them.”