Supervisors info:
Σπυρίδων Μεντζελόπουλος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Ελένη Λουτράρη, ΕΔΙΠ, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Εμμανουήλ Βαγιάκης, Διευθυντής ΕΣΥ, Νοσοκομείο Ευαγγελισμός
Summary:
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is the most common sleep disorder. It is characterized by repeated episodes of obstructive apneas and hypopneas, which are caused by the collapse of the walls of the upper airway.
The main characteristics of the syndrome are snoring, sleep apnea and daytime sleepiness. These patients more often present with morning headaches, irregular blood pressure, arrhythmias, neurocognitive disorders, and other systemic complications.
Complications are cardiovascular, neuropsychiatric, pulmonary hypertension, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, malignancies, motor vehicle accidents, and other systemic complications.
Patients who have moderate to severe syndrome or have severe daytime symptoms, the first line treatment is the use of non-invasive mechanical ventilation during sleep.
Patients have difficulty adhering to treatment. About 20 to 40% of patients fail to comply. There are various problems that arise at the start of treatment, such as dry mouth, nosebleeds, feeling claustrophobic, skin ulcers.
The purpose of this paper is to determine how technology can increase treatment adherence. It is now evident that technology is applied in various areas of our lives.
The literature was searched for how technology has helped, through its applications, to increase adherence to sleep apnea treatment.
Technology has helped make non-invasive mechanical ventilation devices smaller and quieter, with built-in humidifiers, with settings for inspiratory and expiratory pressure and a specific time for when the settings take effect. Also the masks have improved in the material they are made of and in better fit.
Recently, new systems have been implemented that allow patients to control their own compliance and response to treatment, as well as to transfer this data to treating physicians in real time.
And in other areas technology has had a positive effect on increasing treatment adherence. An important part of the treatment is a healthy diet, systematic exercise and achieving an ideal body mass index. Such an example is the smart devices that allow patients to count the steps, the distance they have traveled or the calories they have consumed during the day.
Corresponding applications also exist in the field of nutrition, where smart devices and applications allow patients to calculate the calories in foods and the correct diet plan they are required to follow. This data can be directly transferred to the patients' medical records, so that the treating doctors have data regarding the patients' exercise, diet and sleep.
It can be concluded that technology and its applications in recent years have helped in various ways to increase treatment compliance. Distances shortened, time minimized, devices and components improved, patients can now monitor their data in real time and intervene in their treatment.
Keywords:
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, Treatment compliance, Technology, Telemonitoring
