A study appearing in the November 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine finds that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients treated with Provent Sleep Apnea Therapy were not only compliant with the therapy but also showed a reduction in apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).

“This study provides further validation that Provent Therapy is an effective treatment for some OSA patients as it reduces daytime sleepiness, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and snoring associated with this prevalent condition,” said Meir Kryger, MD, of Gaylord Sleep Medicine and past president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “Patients reported wearing the device almost 90% of the nights, which represents very high compliance. The current gold standard, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is very effective but many patients do not use it adequately. Provent represents an important new treatment option for many obstructive sleep apnea patients.”

The 13-center, 12-month study was an extension of the 3-month study that was previously published in the journal SLEEP. Patients who were compliant with the device and demonstrated adequate treatment were enrolled for this extension study. These patients showed a 70% reduction in the median AHI after 12 months of treatment with Provent Therapy. In addition, the study found a very high nightly compliance rate of 89%. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (a measure of sleepiness) was reduced five points and snoring was reduced by 74%.

“As we expand our footprint in the United States and international markets, we believe it is critically important to have solid peer-reviewed, high quality research like this study to validate the benefits of using Provent Therapy to treat OSA,” said Peter Wyles, president and CEO of Ventus Medical. “We commend Dr Kryger and his colleagues on the results of this important long-term study.”