| Study | Reason for exclusion |
|---|---|
| Al Zuheibi 2013 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Almasri 2007 | Study of different humidifying units plus CPAP |
| Aloia 2001 | CBT |
| Aloia 2004 | Review article |
| Aloia 2005 | CPAP or C‐Flex given in a sequential, non‐randomised order |
| Aloia 2005a | Not randomised |
| Anderson 2003 | Study assessing oral versus nasal interface of CPAP |
| Bachour 2004 | Study assessing chinstrap over a 2‐night laboratory titration study |
| Ball 2011 | No fixed CPAP arm; study duration 2 days |
| Bardwell 2007 | Placebo‐controlled trial |
| Becker 1991 | Non‐randomised study of treatment failure in central sleep apnoea |
| Becker 1998 | Review article |
| Berry 2002 | Review article |
| Berthon‐Jones 1996 | Non‐randomised study of APAP for OSA treatment |
| Bielicke 2008 | Comparison of effects of auto‐titrating CPAP (APAP) versus auto‐titrating CPAP with expiratory pressure relief (A‐Flex) on AHI. No fixed CPAP arm, study duration 2 nights |
| Blau 2009 | Comparison of auto‐CPAP with A‐Flex (auto‐CPAP with pressure relief during expiration) |
| Boudewyns 1999 | Non‐randomised study of CPAP treatment |
| Bradshaw 2004 | Effect of nose drops |
| Brammer 1999 | Not randomised |
| Buyse 2003 | Different algorithms of auto‐CPAP compared |
| Canisius 2007 | Inadequate duration |
| Chan 2004 | Study assessing interface chamber of CPAP |
| Chervin 1997 | Educational/psychosocial intervention |
| Chihara 2012 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Colrain 2007 | Inadequate duration |
| Constantinidis 2000 | Non‐randomised study of nasal mucosal tissue changes with CPAP treatment |
| Coughlin 2004 | CPAP versus subtherapeutic pressure of CPAP |
| Cross 2005 | Study assessing efficacy of CPAP |
| Cumin 2011 | Overnight study only |
| Damjanovic 2005 | Educational/psychosocial support |
| Delwiche 2003 | Comparison between different auto‐CPAP devices |
| Dungan 2010 | Overnight study only; no fixed CPAP arm |
| Duntley 2005 | One‐night study |
| Duoung 2005 | One‐night study |
| e Bastos 2013 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Engleman 1993 | Non‐randomised study of objective compliance measure of CPAP use |
| Epstein 2000 | Educational/psychosocial intervention |
| Feenstra 2005 | Assessment of nose drops on CPAP machine usage |
| Ficker 1997 | Laboratory‐based study |
| Ficker 1998 | Laboratory‐based study |
| Ficker 2000 | Laboratory‐based study |
| Fletcher 1991 | Educational/psychosocial intervention |
| Fleury 1996 | Non‐randomised study of CPAP compliance |
| Gagnadoux 1999 | Non‐randomised study on effectiveness of AutoSet to determine treatment pressure |
| Galetke 2006 | Manual versus auto‐titrating study |
| Galetke 2008a | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Galetke 2016 | Control group received humidification in addition to fixed pressure CPAP |
| Goncalves 2006 | Inadequate duration |
| Greenfield 2005 | Placebo control |
| Grote 2000 | Non‐randomised study on CPAP compliance |
| Gupta 2011 | Not a comparative trial of pressure modification devices in OSA |
| Herold 2007 | Participants randomised to receive auto‐CPAP as a titration strategy |
| Hertegonne 2003 | Laboratory‐based titration study |
| Hertegonne 2006 | Split‐night titration study |
| Horvath 2008 | Different levels of Bi‐PAP compared |
| Hosselet 1999 | Review article |
| Hoster 1996 | Laboratory‐based study |
| Hostler 2014 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Hoy 1999 | Educational/psychosocial intervention |
| Huang 2001 | Non‐randomised study |
| Hui 2000 | Educational/psychosocial intervention |
| Hui 2001 | Non‐randomised study of CPAP effectiveness |
| Hui 2006 | Different pressure levels of CPAP compared (therapeutic and subtherapeutic) |
| Hukins 2005 | Different titration strategies compared |
| Husain 2003 | No fixed CPAP control group |
| Juhàsz 2001 | Two‐night laboratory titration study |
| Khanna 2003 | Comparison outside the focus of the review: oral versus nasal interface |
| Khayat 2007 | Participants with significant cardiac comorbidity |
| Krieger 1992 | Observational study |
| Krieger 1998 | Non‐randomised study on CPAP compliance following simplified diagnostic procedure for OSA |
| Krieger 1999 | Review article |
| Likar 1997 | Non‐randomised study of CPAP compliance |
| Liu 2007 | Inadequate duration |
| Loberes 2004 | Study assessing the effects of daytime CPAP titration |
| Lopez‐Martin 2005 | Not assessment of pressure modification |
| Loube 2003 | Laboratory based titration study |
| Mador 2005 | Randomisation between immediate provision of humidification and delayed provision of humidification |
| Mansfield 2003 | Participants randomised to CPAP or inactive control |
| Marshall 2003 | Not assessment of pressure modification |
| Masa 2004 | Different titration strategies compared |
| Massie 1999 | No control group receiving only fixed pressure CPAP |
| McArdle 2010 | Comparison of effects of manual titration versus laboratory APAP titration versus home APAP titration on CPAP compliance. Participants switched to fixed CPAP after titration study |
| McNicholas 1997 | Editorial |
| Meurice 1994 | Non‐randomised study of CPAP compliance |
| Meurice 1998 | Randomised comparison of 2 types of auto‐CPAP |
| Meurice 2007a | Study of educational interventions |
| Montserrat 2006 | Inadequate duration |
| Morley 2001 | Journal correspondence |
| Mortimore 1998 | Randomised trial comparing nose and face mask CPAP therapy |
| Mulgrew 2005 | Different diagnostic strategies compared |
| Mulgrew 2006 | Inadequate duration |
| Munoz 2009 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Murray 2002 | Responder analysis |
| Neale 2011 | Randomised trial comparing 6 autoadapting CPAP devices in patients previously treated with fixed CPAP. Fixed CPAP arm not run concurrently with auto‐CPAP arms |
| Nolan 2006 | Randomisation between different auto‐titrating CPAP machines; data from fixed CPAP machines captured from start of trial |
| Palasiewicz 1997 | Randomised study conducted when participants were awake |
| Peach 2003 | Educational/psychosocial intervention |
| Penzel 2004 | Laboratory‐based study |
| Pevernagie 2004 | No fixed CPAP control |
| Pierce 2005 | Different APAP therapies compared |
| Pilz 2000 | Laboratory‐based study |
| Piper 2008 | Participants recruited with obesity hypoventilation syndrome |
| Planès 2003 | Randomised trial comparing auto with fixed pressure CPAP. This trial was excluded as an educational intervention administered at baseline was not standardised between the two treatment groups. Titration was also performed in different settings for auto and fixed pressure CPAP. |
| Powell 2014 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Pradeepan 2017 | Study in people with positional OSA |
| Pépin 1995 | Non‐randomised trial on side effects of nasal CPAP therapy |
| Rains 1996 | Non‐randomised study assessing educational interventions in 4 children with OSA (PsycINFO) |
| Randerath 1999 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Randerath 1999b | This study compared different media for informing patients about CPAP. Overnight study |
| Randerath 2001a | Laboratory‐based study |
| Randerath 2003 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Richards 2007 | Study of CBT |
| Rosenthal 2001 | This study was excluded as participants were prescribed CPAP machines set at different hours of use (< 6.5 hours and > 7.5 hours) |
| Rosenthal 2012 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Rubio 2015 | Inadequate duration |
| Salgado 2006 | Humidification added to APAP. No fixed pressure comparator |
| Scharf 1996 | No attempt to measure compliance |
| Sharma 1996 | Overnight study |
| Signes‐Costa 2005 | Assessment of different strategies to diagnose and manage OSA |
| Sin 2002 | Non‐randomised cohort study on the effects of a complex intervention on patient compliance with CPAP therapy |
| Speer 2012 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Stammnitz 2004 | Laboratory‐based study |
| Suzuki 2007 | Participants randomised to auto‐CPAP or no treatment as a means of titration prior to fixed pressure CPAP |
| Taylor 2003 | Assessment of telemedicine intervention |
| Torvaldsson 2003 | Inadequate duration (2 x 1 week treatment arms) |
| van der Aa 2003 | Different titration strategies |
| Walter 2003 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Wiese 2005 | Educational/behavioural intervention |
| Wiest 1999 | No fixed CPAP arm |
| Wiest 2002 | 2‐night titration study |
| Wimms 2013 | Comparison of S9 (humidification with autoadjusting CPAP) versus CPAP. Not a randomised trial |
AHI: Apnoea Hypopnoea Index; APAP: CBT: cognitive behavioural therapy; CPAP: continuous positive airway pressure; OSA: obstructive sleep apnoea