Residual Sleepiness and Accident Risk in Treated Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a major cause of excessive daytime sleepiness and impaired vigilance, leading to an increased risk of road and occupational accidents. Despite effective treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or mandibular advancement devices, more than one third of treated patients report persistent subjective sleepiness and/or objective vigilance impairment. The Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) is currently considered the legal reference test for the assessment of vigilance. However, its availability is limited and does not allow systematic and regular evaluation of all patients at risk. This prospective study aims to identify determinants of residual daytime sleepiness and impaired vigilance in treated OSA, with a specific focus on the role of hypoxic burden at diagnosis. The study also aims to evaluate alternative behavioral and psychomotor tests as potential complementary tools to the MWT, and to assess their relationship with simulated driving performance and retrospective accident history.