A multi-system model for interventions in continuous positive airway pressure treatment: A fuzzy logic approach

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the most widely used treatment for patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a serious chronic respiratory disorder. Although CPAP is a highly effective therapy, it is not, however, curative, and it must be used regularly to ameliorate OSA symptoms. Thus, the success of the therapy depends on the patient´s compliance and proper use of the CPAP machine. The compliance and continuing use of CPAP might be improved by well-timed and well-designed interventions. There are three major types of interventions: mechanical (applying different types of CPAP machines, altering the air pressure), educational/psychological (improving patient´s understanding of treatment, communicating with the health providers), and lifestyle (modifying diet and sleep habits). Therefore, a unified model for various types of interventions is critical for the success of the treatment. In this paper, we propose a multi-system model based on a fuzzy logic approach to assess the extent of the mechanical, educational/psychological, and lifestyle interventions. The CPAP- therapy intervention model, called CPAP-INT, has been designed as a component of a larger system for the comprehensive support of OSA treatment.