What is CPAP/BPAP Titration Study?

• CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.
• BiPAP stands for Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure.
• In both methods, air is blown into your air passage to help you breathe well.
• Problems cause breathing weakness (snoring, insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headache, shortness of breath and awakening with dry a mouth and throat).
• Consult a Sleep Specialist for assessment and if needed, a sleep study with CPAP or BiPAP will be recommended.

Why it is done

• BiPAP and CPAP machines are very similar in function and are a non-invasive form of therapy for those suffering from sleep apnea.
• CPAP delivers a single pressure, whereas BiPAP delivers an inhale pressure and exhale pressure.
• If you have frequent awakenings, or if you are finding the mask on the floor in the morning, then a pressure adjustment or mask refitting may be necessary. CPAP is usually used to treat mild to moderate sleep apnea. But depending on the severity of sleep apnea, doctors may recommend BiPAP instead. Patients requiring high levels of CPAP pressure are often more comfortable using BiPAP.
• A sleep test is likely to permit the physician to determine exactly which settings are required.
• Snoring is frequently heard.

Before the procedure

• Please bring your insurance card and Emirates ID.
• Please arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment.
• First, you will meet with a Patient Access Representative (PAR) at the registration desk that will review your medical insurance card, Emirates ID and perform your clinical registration.
• You will be accompanied by the transport team to your assigned room on the 10th floor.
• A Sleep Technologist will explain the procedure in detail and answer any questions that you may have. You will be given a Sleep Questionnaire to complete.
• No mobile phone usage is allowed during the test.
• Please be on time for your appointment, otherwise, it will be rescheduled.

Note: Please notify the call center if you will be late for your appointment. The grace period is 30 minutes only.

What to expect

• A Sleep Technologist will greet you at approximately 7:30 pm in the lab on the 10th floor and show you to your room. It is important that you arrive on time! Please make sure to eat before you arrive.
• A nurse will then take your vital signs.
• Once you are settled in your room, you will change into your bedclothes and complete some paperwork (Sleep Questionnaire). A Sleep Technologist will then apply electrodes and sensors. This process takes approximately one hour. The Sleep Technologist will spend time deciding which mask suits each respective patient (for first time users, re-fittings, patients who forget their mask) Finding the right mask is important because if you are not comfortable with the mask, the odds of successful treatment are minimized.
• Once the right mask has been selected, it is then connected to a tube that connects to a machine. This machine will blow air through the tube.
• After a mask is found and fitted, you will have time to make yourself comfortable. Much like the first study, the sleep technologist will attach sensors to your body in order to monitor your sleep. The difference between this study and your previous study is that this study involves you being connected to the mask and CPAP machine.
• Throughout the night, the Sleep Technologist will change the pressure gradually so that adequate pressure is identified when periods of arousal or wakefulness are no longer seen. Please note the pressure starts out very low so as not to cause discomfort. 
• After OSAS is confirmed, the CPAP mask will be put on, which commences the second part of the study.
• Pressure is applied, depending on the recording and physician orders. You will be on either a CPAP or BiPAP machine.
• The Sleep Technologist may be in and out of your room to either adjust the mask itself or change it out if it starts to show any problem signs, such as leakage.
• Typically, patients are awoken at 6:00 am. Please keep in mind that the equipment takes approximately 20 minutes to remove.
• From the control room, you will hear a soft voice telling you that the procedure is completed. A Sleep Technologist will enter your room and remove the electrodes.
• After your sleep study is completed, you will be given a morning questionnaire to complete.
• A nurse will check your vital signs.
• You have the option to take a shower before leaving.
• The Sleep Technologist will review your discharge instructions with you before you leave.
• Please follow-up with the ordering physician for your sleep study results.

Results of my test

• Results will be released by the HIMS (Hospital Information Management System), located on Level P1, after seven working days. Results will be sent to the ordering physician. During your follow-up appointment, your physician will discuss the results with you in detail.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call 800 8 CCAD (2223), extension 19064 (Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Sleep Disorder Center).