Acceptance of NCPAP in a sample of patients admitted for geriatric rehabilitation

Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is common in older people. Nasal continuous airway pressure (NCPAP) therapy is the treatment of choice for sleep apnea, but is not always accepted by patients. The rate of successful initiation of NCPAP is unknown in geriatric patients. All patients admitted for geriatric rehabilitation were considered for sleep studies. Sleep apnea was assessed using an Edentrace (Nellcor, Hayward, CA) multi-channel recording system. SAS was defined as an apnea-hypopnea-index (AHI) of more than five events per hour plus excessive daytime sleepiness, or an AHI of more than fifteen events per hour regardless of reported sleepiness. Disability was assessed using the Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living. Two hundred sixty nine of 322 consecutive patients (84%) had adequate sleep studies and gave informed consent. SAS was found in 169 subjects (68%). There was no gender difference in the prevalence of SAS. Six subjects (4%) accepted NCPAP therapy. Individuals who accepted NCPAP were younger and less disabled (p