Pregnancy, sleep disordered breathing and treatment with nasal continuous positive airway pressure.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the tolerance, compliance and problems associated with usage of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) by pregnant women with sleep disordered breathing (SDB).

PATIENTS AND METHOD: Twelve pregnant women diagnosed with SDB received polysomnography (PSG) at entry, CPAP titration, repeat PSG at 6 months gestation (GA) and home monitoring of cardio-respiratory variables at 8 months GA. Compliance was verified by the pressure at the mask. Results from the Epworth sleepiness scale, fatigue scale and visual analogue scales (VAS) for sleepiness, fatigue, and snoring were compared over time.

RESULTS

All of the subjects had full term pregnancies and healthy infants. Nightly compliance was at least 4 h initially and 6.5 h at 6 months GA. Nasal CPAP significantly improved all scales compared to entry. VAS scores remained lower at 6 months GA compared to entry. Re-adjustment of CPAP pressure was needed in six subjects at 6 months GA.

CONCLUSION

Nasal CPAP is a safe and effective treatment of SDB during pregnancy.