Novel nasal cleansing system increases comfort and compliance in sleep apnea patients using CPAP

A novel nasal cleansing system (NasoClenz^TM, Silicon Valley Innovations, Sunnyvale, CA) reduced bacterial colonization while increasing comfort and compliance in patients that use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to treat sleep apnea, according to results of a clinical evaluation recently presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.

Sleep apnea is a very serious health issue, anything we can offer patients that might help improve compliance with CPAP will have a tremendous impact on patients' lives."

Keith Matheny, MD, FARS, lead author and presenter

Sleep apnea - A public health crisis

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious health condition that affects over 40 million adults in the United States and can lead to stroke, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even death. Decades of research have found that using CPAP during sleep has significant benefits for these patients; however, long term compliance is very low due to discomfort with the masks and the extreme nasal dryness the airflow causes.

Dr. Matheny, renowned board-certified otolaryngologist with Collin County Ear Nose and Throat, and his colleagues wanted to investigate whether intranasal cleansing and moisturizing could improve comfort and potentially reduce bacteria in the nose to help increase CPAP usage.

Study details

This initial evaluation included a group of routine CPAP users who were given NasoClenz, an antiseptic cleansing kit that includes anatomically designed, soft nasal applicators used in conjunction with a specially formulated antiseptic gel.

Participating patients used the pre-packaged NasoClenz kits before and after using CPAP for a period of two weeks. They completed a survey before the study started, and after the two-week period was complete. In the 'after' survey, more than 50% of the study participants reported that the kits made CPAP more comfortable and at least 50% noted that this helped to increase their use of CPAP. Patients were very positive in their overall response, with 82% of them reporting that NasoClenz is beneficial for routine use with CPAP.

"These findings are very encouraging because they suggest our patients can benefit from this relatively simple and inexpensive technology. This initial study showed that we can dramatically improve patient comfort and increase CPAP usage," said Dr. Matheny. "We're excited to follow-up on these findings in a larger study as the implications are very significant."

For study participant Kendell Whidbee, 50, of Bentonville, Ark., NasoClenz led to a dramatic improvement in comfort that helped him increase his CPAP use. Prior to the study, he used his CPAP machine "sporadically" and typically only for 4-5 hours at a time. With NasoClenz, he uses it nearly every night for 6-8 hours.

"NasoClenz makes the experience of sleeping with a CPAP so much more enjoyable. I'm not only sleeping longer with my CPAP, but I'm getting better quality sleep. I wake up more refreshed and have more energy throughout the day," he said. "This product is a game-changer for people who suffer from sleep apnea."

In addition, the results also showed a decrease in bacterial colonization. Out of the 18 participants, six patients were randomly selected for pre- and post-study bacterial cultures. Prior to the study, 50 percent of those patients had antibiotic-resistant strains of bacterial colonization, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Following two weeks of twice-daily NasoClenz use, bacterial colonization was reduced or eliminated in all but one of those patients.

These results were presented at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress which took place October 16-20, 2022, in San Diego, Calif.