A Fuzzy Model for the Evaluation of Efficacy of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Treatment

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea (OSAH) is a serious, chronic respiratory disorder afflicting approximately 2-4% of the general population. The standard treatment of OSA is the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). CPAP treatment is highly effective; however, it is not curative and its efficacy depends highly on patient's life-long compliance. Modeling of the effectiveness of this therapy involves several interrelated and, often, subjective factors. This paper describes a model, called CPAP-VAL, for the evaluation of CPAP treatment based on three main factors: improvements in symptoms (nocturnal blood oxygen desaturation, excessive daytime sleepiness, hypertension, and depressive moods), CPAP treatment compliance (average hours of use, percentage of days used, and percentage of CPAP use per total hours of sleep), and patient's characteristics (age, gender, and OSAH severity). The proposed model uses the fuzzy logic approach to combine subjective and objective measurements and to represent complex interrelationships between various factors. The CPAP-VAL model was designed as an evaluation component for a telehealth system, CPAP-T*MONITOR, which will support the treatment process for OSAH patients living in the rural areas.