Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33486667›Full record

ArticleSleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung2021

Combination of positional therapy with positive airway pressure for titration in patients with difficult to treat obstructive sleep apnea.

Abhishek Goyal, Abhijit Pakhare, Rashmi Subhedar, Alkesh Khurana, Poonam Chaudhary

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Maximizing outcomes by multimodal treatment in obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Prospective crossover trial of positional and CPAP therapy for the treatment of mild-to-moderate positional obstructive sleep apnea.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2025
    Trial
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Predictive factors for CPAP failure in obstructive sleep apnea patients.Lung India : official organ of Indian Chest Society
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Abhishek GoyalPulmonary Medicine, AIIMS Bhopal, Saket Nagar, Bhopal, 462024, India. abhishek.pulmed@aiimsbhopal.edu.in.ORCID 0000-0002-1719-4505
Abhijit PakhareCommunity and Family Medicine, AIIMS Bhopal, Bhopal, 462020, India.
Rashmi SubhedarMcMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Alkesh KhuranaPulmonary Medicine, AIIMS Bhopal, Saket Nagar, Bhopal, 462024, India.
Poonam ChaudharyDepartment of Biochemistry, AIIMS Bhopal, Bhopal, 462020, India.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhopal · INMcMaster University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPositional therapy has been described as add-on therapy to a mandibular advancement device, but the efficacy of combination of positional therapy and positive airway pressure (PPAP) has not been documented. We have found PPAP therapy as an effective method of titration in patients with difficult to treat OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). METHODOLOGY: This retrospective analysis was done in patients who had difficult to treat OSA, i.e., in whom titration in the supine position was unacceptable with any PAP device (CPAP or bilevel PAP) and could only be successfully titrated with a PAP device in the lateral position. This study describes our experience of PPAP therapy. Baseline characteristics and polysomnography data of patients who were successfully titrated in supine v/s lateral positions were compared.

resultsOf 272 consecutive patients with OSA selected for analysis, 218 patients (191 and 27 with CPAP and bilevel PAP, respectively) could be successfully titrated in supine position. Further 54 (20%) patients in whom titration in supine position was unacceptable were titrated in lateral position. Patients titrated with PAP in the lateral position therapy group had higher BMI, higher neck and waist circumference, and lower awake sPO

conclusionCombination of positional therapy and PAP device is an effective way of titration for difficult to treat OSA patients. It can be tried in patients who fail titration in supine position.

Indexed as

Continuous Positive Airway PressurePostureAdultAgedCombined Modality TherapyFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesSleep Apnea, ObstructiveSupine PositionBilevel positive airway pressureContinuous positive airway pressure failureObstructive sleep apneaOSA in IndiaPositional therapyTitration

Identifiers

PMID33486667
OpenAlexW3125363602

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.