Skip to content
Table of Contents
CPAP Titration Study
The first time I heard the word “titration” (way, way back when), my mind’s eye conjured an image of functions in a dimly lit, dank chemistry laboratory situated in the basement somewhere in the bowels of a study center. Otherwise, even more vivid, the ship Calypso’s oceanic crew did in an episode of “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.” The sound of the word titration made me wonder what probable marine diversity discovery Cousteau would reveal during THIS episode. I was a stranger to sleep disorders medicine. When I saw the word used in association with the acronym for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), I expected no one would have to be submerged in water! After all, the patients that want to use CPAP have sleep apnea — no additional challenges required.
The term titration is defined as continually measuring and adjusting the balance of drug dosage or a physiological function. Match the dose or function with the correct response, and you have an appropriate situation for a prescription of CPAP therapy. Just ask yourself– Would you just walk into a clothing store to purchase yourself a pair of pants by just grabbing a pair, or without reading the size label? It’s no different in the sleep laboratory regarding sleep apnea.
Enhancing the quality of life through CPAP therapy, well-fitting mask interface, as well as a successful titration of CPAP, are all critical goals where sleep apnea patients are concerned. Occasionally technical or medical words can be daunting until they are defined, and we learn what is involved. In the case of the word titration, being associated with the acronym CPAP means certain equipment settings are adjusted until the periods of sleep apnea have disappeared during the research.
CPAP Titration Study Side Effects
To study the subject of CPAP titration and sleep apnea, we should first examine the upper airway physiology or function of a human being while awake and while asleep. This function of the upper airway is impaired in the sleeping individual with apnea. If we think of this in terms of how, when persons are alert and awake, they “know” to keep the upper airway functional; in other words- keep the airway open. As soon as the relaxation of the slumbered person takes place, the upper airway muscles.
CPAP Titration and Adjusting CPAP Pressure
You will possibly not be cognizant when the pressure is being increased. CPAP pressure is measured in centimeters of water pressure or “cm H2O.” It is administered gradually and at very small incremental increases. If the pressure is not enough to keep the airway open, the technical staff can see this on the monitoring equipment and then make another pressure increase. This will repeat as desirable the apneic events disappear. The pressure is also regulated to make snoring go away.
Shop
