Impact of a controlled heated breathing tube humidifier on sleep quality during CPAP therapy in a cool sleeping environment.

There are conflicting data on the effect of adding a heated humidifier to nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). The effects of heated humidification on sleep quality and treatment side-effects for patients who prefer a cold bedroom environment have not been studied. A randomised, controlled crossover trial involving 19 patients with a first-ever diagnosis of OSAS measured the effect of conventional heated humidification added to CPAP compared with a controlled heated breathing tube humidifier (ThermoSmart(R); Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, Auckland, New Zealand) on sleep quality. During the night in the sleep laboratory at a mean room temperature of 14 degrees C, less condensation formed with the controlled heated breathing tube humidifier (1.9 mL versus 35.3 mL) in the delivery system. In addition, the total sleep time, time spent in sleep stages 3 and 4, and rapid eye movement sleep phases were significantly longer and the overall side-effect score was lower than with conventional heated humidification. Patients on nasal continuous positive airway pressure desiring a cool bedroom temperature could benefit from controlled heated breathing tube humidification technology (with inputs from ambient temperature, set pressure and flow).