Won - Figure 29
What We DON'T Know
FIG. 29: At this time what we do not know is who is at risk, and therefore who we should be screening for Op-CSA. We do not know what the clinical consequences of this breathing disorder may be. We do not know whether the clinical consequences are detrimental or whether, if left untreated, Op-CSA leads to high morbidity or mortality. We do not know whether the disease process may be adaptive and therefore should not be treated at all.
We do not even have a reliable way of predicting response to PAP therapy. At this time we are relying mostly on PAP therapy to treat these patients, but there may be other alternatives that have not yet been studied, such as acetazolamide or inhaled carbon dioxide. However it is clear that, given the number of patients on chronic opioid therapy, these questions require more investigation.
