Effects of daily-use positive pressure devices on physical performance in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: an exploratory systematic review

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition that causes partial or complete collapse of the upper airways during rest and reports a global prevalence of approximately 936 million patients. For its management, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy has been proposed; however, whether its daily use influences physical performance in affected individuals is currently unknown. This review aimed to gather updated evidence on the effects of daily-use positive pressure devices on the functional physical performance of individuals with OSA. An exploratory review was conducted following the methodology of the Joanna Briggs Institute, including studies published between 2015 and 2024 in English and Spanish. Databases, such as the Virtual Health Library, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were consulted, and the search strategy used a thesaurus combining MESH and DECS terms with Boolean operators. The initial search yielded 216 studies. Of these, 10 studies were included in the final qualitative analysis. All of the studies described using CPAP as a continuous positive pressure device with an intervention duration between 1 and 6 months. The use of CPAP showed improvements in VO2 max and peak, workload, and functionality in patients with OSA.