By Sree Roy
We reviewed reports from sleepreviewmag.com to curate this roundup of news that captivated sleep specialists in 2024. This year, the four topics that garnered the most online engagement were all related to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) therapy.
1. Philips Respironics Discontinues US CPAP Sales.
Similar to 2023, the number-one topic that enthralled sleep specialists in 2024 was related to Philips Respironics CPAP devices. In January 2024, the once-giant sleep vendor announced it was discontinuing sales of its sleep therapy devices, most prominently its CPAPs and sleep diagnostics systems in the United States. Sleep specialists began researching alternate vendors from which to buy equipment as the end-of-service dates approach.
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2. Positional Sleep Aids Generate Renewed Interest.
Alternatives to CPAP are a perennially captivating topic, and 2024 saw renewed interest in an old therapy with new payor coverage. Positional therapies for OSA—that is, those that keep people with significantly more apneas while on their backs from sleeping supine—recently gained Medicare reimbursement, making them a realistic alternative for many more patients.
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3. CPAP Masks with Magnets Contraindicated in Certain Patients.
Though remaining a safe (and convenient) option for most CPAP users, CPAP masks containing magnets garnered attention in 2024 due to their potential to interfere with certain implants and medical devices. Sleep specialists added protocols to ensure contraindicated patients weren’t given masks with magnets.
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4. Wins for Oral Appliance Therapy Credibility.
Despite evidence of their efficacy in many people with OSA, oral appliances still face many hurdles to their more widespread adoption in people who either fail or refuse CPAP. But two events recently occurred in their (and potentially, patients’) favor: The US Food and Drug Administration included severe OSA in its indications for an oral appliance for the first time, and UnitedHealthcare established oral appliance therapy as a prerequisite therapy for surgical treatment in adult patients with moderate to severe OSA. 2025 will reveal how much of a difference these wins for oral appliance therapy’s credibility will make in the real world.
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