Today's Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines do more than just help sleep apnea patients breathe through the night. They also record a wealth of information that can be retrieved and analyzed with CPAP compliance software. This software gives doctors and respiratory therapists an idea of whether the patient is following his or her CPAP regimen.

Function

Almost all CPAP machines store information on how long they are in operation. Advanced CPAP devices also measure the time of day in which they are used, whether there is too much air leakage at the mask and how much they must adjust the pressure they deliver to keep the patient from having an apnea episode. All this data is recorded on a removable chip or smart card, which can be inserted in a special card reader attached to a computer. Special software on the computer pulls the data off the smart card and turns it into graphs and reports.

Usage

CPAP compliance software is most frequently used by physicians and respiratory therapists. Often, these clinicians must report to insurance providers whether and how often a patient is using CPAP equipment. But this software can also give doctors a clue as to whether CPAP therapy is being effective and what measures might help to improve the patient's compliance with therapy.

Potential

The most advanced CPAP models actually feature wireless modems and regularly transmit data to secure websites so that doctors and therapists can view compliance data at any time. These models also allow therapists to adjust the function settings of the CPAP machine remotely, adjusting the patient's treatment in real time. These futuristic CPAP machines are likely to become more common as doctors try to find ways to improve patient compliance with CPAP therapy.