According to the FDA, OPAP delivers oral air pressure capable of producing a reduction in a patient's apnea/hypopnea index in OSA, and it is as efficacious as nasal mask delivery.
Most patients had moderate to severe OSA; among the entire group, both the respiratory disturbance index and the apnea/hypopnea index ranged from 5 to 99 (median: 40 and 39.
In one crossover trial, investigators at the University of Witten/Herdecke (Germany) randomized 20 patients with mild to moderate OSA as evidenced by a mean baseline apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of 17.
The most striking study finding was that although there was no difference in cognitive function between the apo E [epsilon]4-positive and -negative groups overall, apo E [epsilon]4-positive individuals with sleep apnea as defined by a higher apnea/hypopnea index had lower memory scores as reflected by worse performance on the delayed recall and short-term recall components of the Rey test.
