Treatment for patients with sleep apnea on opioids for chronic pain: results of the OpSafe trial.

Study Objectives: Approximately 20% of North Americans are afflicted with chronic pain with 3% being opioid users. The objective was to determine whether patients on opioids for chronic pain with newly diagnosed sleep apnea attended sleep clinic review and followed treatment recommendations.

Methods: The study was a post hoc analysis from a multicenter perspective cohort study. Inclusion criteria included adults taking opioid medications for chronic pain for >3 months. Demographic data and daily opioid dose were collected. Sleep apnea was diagnosed via level 1 polysomnography. Patients who attended sleep clinic review were grouped based on the types of treatment they received.

Results: A total of 204 patients completed polysomnography and 58.8% were diagnosed to have sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index ≥5 events/h). Of those with sleep apnea, 58% were recommended to have an evaluation by a sleep physician. Body mass index and age were 29.5 ± 6 kg/m² and 56 ± 12 years, respectively. Of those with newly diagnosed sleep apnea, 25% received treatment, with the majority being treated with positive airway pressure therapy, whereas the rest received positional therapy and opioids/sedative reduction. The adherence rate of positive airway pressure therapy was 55% at 1 year. Over 50% of participants on opioids for chronic pain with newly diagnosed sleep apnea declined attendance for sleep clinic review or treatment.

Conclusions: There was a high refusal rate to attend clinic for treatment. Adherence to positive airway pressure therapy was low at 55%. This sheds light on the high rate of treatment nonadherence and the need for further research.

Clinical Trial Registration: Registry: ClinicalTrials.gov; Name: Opioid Safety Program in Pain Clinics (Op-Safe); URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02513836; Identifier: NCT02513836.