Apnea Calculator

About Apnea

A mean AHI in CPAP therapy is more realistic than using arbitrary compliance rates, which in fact hide insufficient reductions in AHI.

Introduction Calculators

Using mathematical function formulas, the effect on the AHI of various treatment modalities can be calculated.

Calculators

To make Apnea formulas more accessible for clinical practice, we developed the online Apnea Calculators.

Disclaimer

This website contains general information about medical conditions and treatments. The information is not advice, and should not be treated as such.

Introduction

OSA

i. What is OSA?

A mean AHI in CPAP therapy is more realistic than using arbitrary compliance rates, which in fact hide insufficient reductions in AHI. OSA is associated with significant morbidity, such as excessive daytime sleepiness, social unacceptable snoring and impaired quality of life.

ii. OSA severity classification

The severity of OSA is expressed in the apnea hypopnea index (AHI). An AHI of 5-15 is mild OSA, 15-30 moderate OSA and >30 severe OSA12. When the AHI is smaller than 5, a patient is not considered to be suffering from OSA, but may be suffering from habitual snoring. Consequently in all treatment modalities the aim is reduce the AHI below 5. The point at which the AHI becomes harmful remains unclear13. Whether a patient is "cured" when the AHI falls below 5 is questionable.

3 MJL Ravesloot, N. de Vries. Reliable calculation of the efficacy of non-surgical and surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea revisited. Sleep 2011 Jan 1;34(1):105-10.
12 American Academy of Sleep Medicine task force. Sleep-related breathing disorders in adults: recommendations for syndrome definition and measurement techniques in clinical research. Sleep 1999;22:667-89.
13 He J, Kryger M, Zorick F, et al. Mortality and apnea index in obstructive sleep apnea: experience in 385 male patients. Chest 1988;94:9-14.
14 Richard W, Kox D, den Herder C, Laman M, van Tinteren H, de Vries N. The role of sleeping position in obstructive sleep apnea. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2006;263:946-50.
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