Background. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) is a widely accepted technique of non-invasive respiratory support in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome due to lack of lung surfactant. If this approach fails, the next step is often intubation, mechanical ventilation (MV) and intratracheal instillation of clinical lung surfactant. Objective. To investigate whether...

The influence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) on left ventricular function remains controversial. We examined the influence of OSAS on global left ventricular function using the myocardial performance index (Tei index) and plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level and investigated the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) on these parameters. We obtained echo...

BACKGROUND After major surgery, analgesia with opioids can cause obstructive apnea and intermittent hypoxemia, probably from loss of upper airway control. Since this resembles the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, we tested the possibility that nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) would reduce episodes of reduced oxygen saturation and sleep disruption. Because oxygen therapy is fre...

Introduction Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a current cause of morbidity in premature infants resulted from surfactant deficiency. The primary aim of this randomized study was to describe the feasibility of early administration of surfactant via a thin catheter during spontaneous breathing (TEC) and compare its outcomes with the InSurE (Intubate, Surfactant, Extubate) procedure Material...

We have evaluated the effects of short-term nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) therapy on systemic blood pressure and heart rate in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Twenty five consecutive patients were examined during baseline conditions (No-CPAP) and during one night of nCPAP treatment (CPAP). The mean value and the variation coefficient of cardiovascular variab...

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) has proven to be an effective mode of non-invasive respiratory support in preterm infants; however, many infants still require endotracheal ventilation, placing them at an increased risk of morbidities such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Several other modes of non-invasive respiratory support beyond NCPAP, including synchronised and non-synchron...

Quality-of-life (QoL) issues have become increasingly important in health care practice and research. Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) results in an especially serious reduction in QoL. The purpose of this study was to measure the QoL (life satisfaction) of OSAS patients treated with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP). We aimed to determine whether and to what extent the ...

Previous studies have generally shown poor effective long-term compliance with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS). We performed a retrospective study of patients treated with nCPAP for more than one year. Compliance was defined as the average number of hours of nCPAP use per day, where hours of use were obtained from the b...

BACKGROUND C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 are important risk factors for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. In the present study, we examined serum levels of CRP and IL-6, IL-6 production by monocytes, and the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). METHODS AND RESULTS After polysomnography...