CPAP stands for continuous positive airway pressure.
It consists of a mask worn during sleep which is designed to fit snugly over the nose and sometimes mouth. It is connected to a small, quiet machine which gently blows air into the throat, stopping it from flopping shut, as occurs in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
CPAP is a very effective treatment for OSA. It improves sleepiness and snoring, and prevents any further damage to your health which OSA may be causing.
Starting CPAP therapy at Royal Papworth Hospital
If you have OSA and need to start CPAP therapy, you will attend our Respiratory Support and Sleep centre at the hospital. Your treatment will begin either in the CPAP Hub on the ground floor or as a day case which may include an overnight stay on the ward.
You will be cared for by a friendly and experienced multidisciplinary team of specialists which includes doctors, practitioners, healthcare scientists and nurses. They will help you find the best fitting mask to make sure your treatment is comfortable and works well.
You are shown how to use the equipment and are given a remote monitoring auto-titrating device to take home, which will determine the appropriate therapy levels during sleep.
We will have a review appointment with you after two weeks to assess your progress and address any early issues. You will also be provided with telephone helplines for support between reviews.
Contact our CPAP team
If you are an exisiting CPAP patient at Royal Papworth Hospital, you can speak to a member of our team directly:
Phone
01223 638526 (Monday to Friday, 09:00-16:30)
Patient Information Leaflets
Download our 'Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and CPAP Therapy' leaflet