ARE YOU TIRED OR FATIGUED?
DO YOU SNORE?
DO YOU AWAKEN FROM SLEEP GASPING FOR AIR?

If you have answered "YES" to these questions, you have symptoms of a sleep disorder called Obstructive Sleep Apnea and may be eligible to participate in a study examining the effectiveness of a treatment for this sleep disorder.

The Kathryn Severyns Dement Sleep Disorders Center at St. Mary Medical Center is taking part in a nation-wide research project funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Heart Lung Blood Institute.

The five sites for this national study are:

• Harvard University
• Stanford University
• The University of Arizona
• St. Louis University
• St. Mary Medical Center

Together, we make up the APPLES Project:

Apnea Positive Pressure Long-term Efficacy Study

People with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) have a condition that causes their airway to partially or totally collapse many times each night as they sleep.  OSA is often treated with a device called CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure).  This is a small air pump type device that attaches to a mask worn over the nose.  This keeps the airway from collapsing during the night.

APPLES is a 5 year federally funded project looking at neurocognitive function in people with OSA. Individual participants will be in the study for 6 to 7 months. Many people with OSA have trouble with short-term memory, concentration, fine motor skills, etc. This study is looking to see if treating people with CPAP will help their neurocognitive function improve. Each of the 5 clinical sites will be enrolling 220 people over the next 5 years. Half of the people will be treated with CPAP and the other half will be treated with a device called Sham CPAP. Sham CPAP looks, sounds, and feels just like real CPAP, except that it does not treat the Sleep Apnea.

During your 6 to 7 months in APPLES you will have several overnight and daytime visits in the SleepCenter.  Things start off with a couple of training sessions, just to familiarize you with some of the tests you will be taking.  We will also give you some baseline psychological tests.  Then we bring you in for an overnight sleep study, to see if you have enough sleep apnea to be in the study.  You will stay all the following day, taking several neurocognitive test batteries.  Next, we will bring you back in a week or two for another overnight sleep study.  During this test you will be treated with either real CPAP or Sham CPAP.  The next morning we will set you up with a device to take home with you.  Two months later we will bring you back for another overnight sleep study and all day testing session.  Two months after that, we bring you back just during the day for a couple of hours of tests.  Two months later we bring you back for another overnight sleep study and all day testing session.  After that we will bring you in for an office visit and “break the blind” to see if you were on Real or Sham CPAP.  If you were on Sham CPAP we will arrange to bring you in for a real CPAP titration.  If you complete the entire protocol, you will receive $500.  During your time in the APPLES study there is a 50% chance that you will not be receiving effective treatment for your Sleep Apnea.

To be eligible for this project:

1. You must be a U.S. Citizen or legal alien. You must be at least 18 years old.
2. You cannot have previous experience with CPAP, or live with a person using CPAP.
3. You cannot have had a prior automobile accident or near-miss accident because of sleepiness within the past 12 months
4. You cannot have had prior surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
5. You cannot work rotating shifts, or the night shift.
6. You must speak and understand English.
7. You cannot have significant vision, hearing, or coordination problems.
8. You cannot drink more than 10 caffeinated beverages per day.
9. You cannot drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages per day.
10. You cannot have other serious medical conditions like:
1. Congestive Heart Failure
2. Previous Stroke or Neurological Problems
3. Respiratory Disease (unless on stable medications)
4. Use of Supplemental Oxygen
5. Renal Failure
6. Psychiatric Illness (except for depression or mild anxiety)
7. Narcolepsy, Insomnia, Restless Legs Syndrome
8. Pregnancy (Women of childbearing age will have to agree not to become pregnant during the 6 months they are in the study)
9. Use of certain excluded medications (click here)

 

If you want to be a part of the APPLES project and you live in the Walla Walla area, you can give us a call at:

(509) 522-5845, or toll free: 1 (800) 452-3320 ext. 2142.

You can also get in touch with us by email at: sleepcenter@smmc.com