Monaldi archives for chest disease = Archivio Monaldi per le malattie del torace / Fondazione clinica del lavoro, IRCCS [and] Istituto di clinica tisiologica e malattie apparato respiratorio, Università di Napoli, Secondo ateneo
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Monaldi Arch Chest Dis · Oct 1997
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialAcute effects of CPAP and BiPAP breathing on pulmonary haemodynamics in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) breathing increases alveolar and intrathoracic pressures, hampering venous return and pulmonary capillary flow. Bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) breathing assuring lower expiratory pressure should impede less the pulmonary circulation. We aimed to compare the effects of CPAP and BiPAP breathing on pulmonary haemodynamics in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). ⋯ BiPAP breathing had no effect on intravascular and transmural pressures, Q' and pulmonary vascular resistance. We conclude that continuous positive airway pressure breathing increases pulmonary intravascular but not transmural, true, pressure. Bilevel positive airway pressure breathing does not affect central pulmonary haemodynamics.