Treatment of opioid-related central sleep apnea with positive airway pressure: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the various modalities of positive airway pressure (PAP) in the treatment of opioid-related central sleep apnea (CSA).

DESIGN: Systematic review.

INTERVENTIONS: MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were screened through March 2013 to identify articles which investigated treatment of opioid related CSA with PAP. Eligible articles were identified in a staged process and were assessed by two investigators independently. The methodological quality of the reporting of eligible articles was assessed using a set of questions addressing both general and statistical methodologies.

RESULTS: Five articles met the inclusion criteria for a total of 127 patients. All patients had been on opioids for at least 6 months. The dose ranged from 10 mg to 450 mg daily of morphine equivalent dose. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was proven mostly ineffective in reducing central apneic events. Bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) with and without supplemental oxygen achieved elimination of central apneas in 62 percent of patients. Adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) yielded conflicting results with 58 percent of participants attaining a central apnea index <10 per hour. The presence of ataxic breathing predicted poor response to PAP.

CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence on the efficacy of PAP in opioid-related CSA is inconclusive. With the increasing use of opioids, further studies are needed to assess optimal PAP therapy and predictors of success in this group of patients.