This analysis showed that CPAP was associated with a significantly reduced rate of incident HT and CV events as long as patients received 4 hours or more of the treatment each night (JAMA 2012;307:2161-8).
However, as the conclusion of a post hoc analysis, this result must be considered "hypothesis-generating" rather than definitive, they noted.
In addition, Dr. Barbe and his associates realized that they had erred in designing the study and that it likely had insufficient statistical power to detect a significant difference in the rate of HT. "A larger study or longer follow-up might have been able to identify a significant association between treatment and outcome," they said.
Dr. Marin’s study was supported by Instituto Carlos III; the Ministry of Health, Madrid; and the Spanish Society of Respiratory Medicine. Dr. Barbe’s study was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, the Spanish Respiratory Society, Resmed, Air Products-Carburos Metalicos, Respironics, and Breas Medical. Dr. Marin, Dr. Barbe, and their associates reported no financial conflicts of interest.