continuous positive airway pressure

noun

: a technique for relieving breathing problems (such as those associated with sleep apnea or congestive heart failure) by pumping a steady flow of air at constant pressure through the nose to prevent the narrowing or collapse of air passages or to help the lungs to expand

—abbreviation CPAP compare bilevel positive airway pressure

Examples of continuous positive airway pressure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Flying with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine — used to combat sleep apnea — has been seemless for me and many other travelers on U.S. airlines for many years. —Gary Stoller, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024

The use of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device is the most common and usually the most effective treatment. —Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 15 July 2024

The company has recalled more than 5 million such machines, most of them continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, which force air through a mask to prop open nasal and mouth passageways while a person sleeps. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 29 Apr. 2024

To qualify for the device, called a hypoglossal nerve stimulator, a person over 18 diagnosed with moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea must be unable to adapt or refuse to wear a continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, machine, the gold standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

continuous positive airway pressure

noun

: a technique for relieving breathing problems (as those associated with sleep apnea or congestive heart failure) by pumping a steady flow of air of constant pressure through the nose to prevent the narrowing or collapse of air passages or to help the lungs to expand

The most common treatment for patients with sleep apnea is to provide continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) at the upper airway, usually through a nasal mask, during sleep.

—Jeffrey M. Drazen

—abbreviation CPAP compare bilevel positive airway pressure, positive end-expiratory pressure