The burden of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) improved more in patients who received upper airway stimulation (UAS) compared with those who did not, according to research published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Investigators conducted a prospective, parallel-arm, multinational, experimental study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02907398) to compare OSA measures and patient-reported outcomes in individuals who received approval for UAS (n=230; therapy arm) vs those who received an insurance denial (n=100; no-therapy arm or comparator arm). The study was conducted at 9 academic medical centers — 6 in the United States and 3 in Germany — between October 2017 and January 2019.
The primary study end point was posttreatment apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) at final follow-up in both the therapy and the comparator arms. Secondary end points included a comparison of the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ-10) and Clinical Global Impression between the 2 groups at the final visit.
