ResMed
(NYSE: RMD)
today announced two studies highlighting the benefits of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy adherence.
The studies demonstrated reductions in hospitalizations and emergency room visits, as well as costs, thanks to PAP therapy adherence. ResMed presented the study, which evaluated people with heart failure and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), at SLEEP 2023 in Indianapolis.
One retrospective study analyzed 1,472 people, split down the middle between PAP-adherent and non-adherent patients. It showed people with OSA and systolic heart failure who remained adherent to PAP had 24% fewer ER visits. They also incurred 40% lower costs related to hospitalizations and ER visits over one year ($3,500 vs. $5,879) compared to non-adherent patients.
ResMed said its second retrospective study analyzed 1,926 people, again split down the middle between the two adherence levels. It demonstrated that PAP-adherent people with OSA and diastolic heart failure had 36% fewer ER visits and 57% fewer hospitalizations. They incurred 18% lower related costs (an average $12,732 vs. $15,610) over one year.
That study also demonstrated that converting a non-adherent PAP user to an adherent one would save an average of 1.25 visits. ResMed said the studies offer implications for managing heart failure patients since 76% of them also have sleep apnea.
“Since 3 out of 4 people with heart failure also have sleep apnea,1 these findings underscore the significant role PAP treatment plays in keeping people healthy and out of the hospital,” said Fatima Sert Kuniyoshi, 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.”
ResMed also presented a global multi-study analysis estimating that more than 200 million women worldwide have mild obstructive sleep apnea. That equals 13.4% of women between ages 30-70, or more than one in eight.
The company said females with OSA tend to be milder than male counterparts. They present lower AHIs, less oxygen desaturations and different symptoms like fatigue and insomnia. This means females with mild OSA may face the risk of underdiagnosis and undertreatment.
ResMed said that, while PAP treatment offers benefits for treating mild OSA, the key remains the first diagnosis.
