What is an Autotitration Device?
- A positive airway pressure device used in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
- An intelligent therapeutic device that decreases pressure when the upper airway is stable and increase pressure in response to airway events such as:
- Apneas
- Hypopneas
- Flow limitation
- Snoring
- Delivers mean pressures below that on a CPAP device; generating only the pressure that is necessary at any given time
- Decreases pressure between event-laden periods
- May be particularly suited to patients with:
- REM-related apnea
- Positional apnea
- Non-compliant with standard CPAP therapy
Differences between Autotitration devices
Autotitration devices differ greatly from one manufacturer to another. Each manufacturer uses a different algorithm that responds to different parameters, so you will find greater variance between two autotitration devices than you will between two CPAP devices.
Clinicians should ask each manufacturer for validation of their algorithm.
Not all autotitration devices actually titrate the patient. Some machines require a sleep lab titration that acts as a starting point for a range of therapeutic pressure. While these devices are not truly automatic titration devices, they may increase patient comfort.
Our AutoSet technology has been clinically validated in a number of studies published in peer-reviewed journals.1-3
References
1 Massie CA, Hart RW. Preliminary Report on the Comparison Between Automatic and Manual Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Therapy in the Home Using the AutoSet T. Suburban Center for Sleep Medicine of Suburban Lung Associates, Alexian Brothers Medical Center, Elk Grove Village, IL and Central DuPage Hospital, Winfield, IL USA.
2 Teschler, et al. Automated Continuous Positive Airway Pressure for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1996; 154: 734-40.
3 Bradley PA, Mortimore IL, Douglas NJ. Comparison of Polysomnography with ResCare AutoSet in the Diagnosis of the Sleep Apnoea/Hypopnoea Syndrome. Thorax 1995;50(11):1201-1203.
4 Teschler H, Berthon-Jones M. Intelligent CPAP Systems: Clinical Experience. Thorax 1998; 53 (Suppl 3): S49-54