Peripheral arterial tonometry, oximetry and actigraphy for ambulatory recording of sleep apnea

Autonomous nervous functions change with sleep stages and show characteristic changes associated with sleep disorders. Therefore, continuous monitoring of autonomous nervous functions during sleep can be used for diagnostic purposes. Recently, the peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) has been introduced to determine peripheral arterial vascular tone on the finger being determined by sympathetic activity. We investigate a new ambulatory recording system which uses PAT, oximetry and actigraphy (Watch-PAT) in order to detect sleep apnea and arousal. The Watch-PAT is battery operated and attached to the wrist and has two finger sensors. Twenty-one patients with suspected sleep apnea were recorded with cardiorespiratory polysomnography and the new system in parallel. Seventeen recordings could be evaluated. The correlation for the apnea/hypopnea index derived from the sleep laboratory and the respiratory disturbance index derived from the Watch-PAT was r = 0.89 (p < 0.01) and between arousals and the respiratory disturbance index was r = 0.77 (p < 0.01). The correlation for the total sleep time compared between the two systems was r = 0.15 (n.s.). The Watch-PAT detects apneas and hypopneas with a reasonable reliability and it is very sensitive to arousals. The number of Watch-PAT events lies between the sum of apneas plus hypopneas and arousals. Arousals are not unique to apnea events and therefore the specifity of the Watch-PAT is limited. In conclusion, the Watch-PAT is well suited to perform therapy control studies in patients suffering from sleep apnea and being treated.     

Diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in internal medicine

130 inpatients (94 males and 36 females, mean age 51.8 +/- 9.1 years) with suspected obstructive sleep apnoa (OSA) were examined clinically, were questioned and underwent night cardiorespiratory monitoring. A definite OSA diagnosis was made in 83 patients. Sleep continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was applied in 40 patients who had moderate and severe sleep respiratory impairment. The treatment was effective in 31(77%) patients who stopped snoring, improved sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. In half of the hypertensive patients elimination of apnoa lowered blood pressure without drugs in day hours. Patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency improved gas exchange. In pulmonary hypertension CPAP therapy reduced pressure in the pulmonary artery. It is concluded that diagnosis and effective individual therapy of most CPAP patients can be provided in therapeutic hospital departments.     

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in ambulatory surgical patients

Obstructive sleep apnea in the ambulatory surgery setting has become a more significant concern in recent years because its identification and recognition are a critical part of preoperative patients' risk assessment. The types of surgeries that can be performed on an outpatient basis have increased and include many specialty procedures that previously were performed on an inpatient basis only. Ambulatory surgery has proven to be a cost-effective alternative for patients and physicians; however, patients in this setting often have complex surgical histories. Perioperative nurses must provide a more integrated approach to patient assessment to recognize, identify, plan, and implement a course of safe care for patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Reviewing patients' histories can help nurses identify symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, allowing them to alert the surgical team of special requirements. Ambulatory patients with identified obstructive steep apnea will require a planned course of care. Ambulatory care facilities should have a policy in place to ensure that safe care will be provided to patients for the entire perioperative course. AORN J 76 (Sept 2002) 458-464.     

Use of ketamine to wean a patient with sleep apnea

An obese patient with sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was difficult to sedate and ventilate after tracheostomy. High peak inspiratory pressures and severe patient agitation persisted despite sedation with lorazepam, and threatened security of the tracheostomy. The use of a ketamine infusion sedated the patient and allowed weaning to progress uneventfully.     

Obstructive sleep apnea in therapeutic practice

Obstructive respiratory sleep disorders are usually covered by the term obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Prevalence of OSAHS in general population reaches 14%. In population of Europe and North America OSAHS occurs in each seventh and may run with such complications as day drowse, hypodynamia, obesity, hypertension, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia. The article proposes algorithms of diagnosis and step-by-step correction of OSAHS (patent N 2197893, 23.05.2000) the efficacy of which has been proved for the last 10 years in 2586 patients.     

Migraine and sleep apnea in the general population

The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between tension-type headache and obstructive sleep apnea in the general population. The method involves a cross-sectional population-based study. A random age and gender stratified sample of 40,000 persons aged 20–80 years residing in Akershus, Hedmark or Oppland County, Norway were drawn by the National Population Register. A postal questionnaire containing the Berlin Questionnaire was used to classify respondents to be of either high or low risk of obstructive sleep apnea. Included in this study were 297 persons with high risk and 134 persons with low risk of sleep apnea, aged 30–65 years. They underwent an extensive clinical interview, a physical and a neurological examination by physicians, and in-hospital polysomnography. Those with apnea hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥5 were classified with obstructive sleep apnea. Tension-type headache was diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders. Results showed the prevalence of frequent and chronic tension-type headache was 18.7 and 2.1% in the participants with obstructive sleep apnea. The logistic regression analyses showed no significant relationship between tension-type headache and obstructive sleep apnea, with adjusted odds ratios for frequent tension-type headache of 0.95 (0.55–1.62) and chronic tension-type headache of 1.91 (0.37–9.85). The results did not change when using cut-off of moderate (AHI ≥15) and severe (AHI ≥30) obstructive sleep apnea. Thus, we did not find any significant relationship between tension-type headache and the AHI. The presence and severity of sleep apneas seem not to influence presence and attack-frequency of tension-type headache in the general population.     

Underutilization of calcium and vitamin D by older adults in a large general internal medicine practice

The underutilization of calcium and vitamin D supplements in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis is common among high-risk elders. Less is known about the prevalence and adequacy of calcium and vitamin D use by the general population of older adults. We performed a retrospective chart analysis of 617 women and 383 men over the age of 60 (mean age 73 +/- 9 years) seen at an internal medicine practice to establish the prevalence and evaluate the adequacy of calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Adequate supplementation was defined according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation guidelines and the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Panel on Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis or osteopenia was documented in 207 (33.6%) women and 21 (5.5%) men (P < 0.01). Of 383 men, 116 (30.3%) used calcium, 25 (6.5%) used adequate doses of calcium, 109 (28.5%) used vitamin D, and only 8 (2.1%) used adequate doses of vitamin D. Of 617 women, 415 (67.3%) used calcium, 199 (32.3%) used adequate doses of calcium, 347 (56.2%) used vitamin D, and 83 (21.7%) used adequate doses of vitamin D. When compared with women, men were less likely to be on calcium (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.16-0.28), on adequate calcium replacement (OR0.15, 95% CI 0.11-0.23), on vitamin D (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.25-0.42), and on adequate vitamin D replacement (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.07-0.26). Calcium and vitamin D were greatly underutilized among older patients in an internal medicine clinic. Inadequate replacement doses were common, and men were particularly susceptible to undertreatment.     

Tension-type headache and sleep apnea in the general population

The main objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between tension-type headache and obstructive sleep apnea in the general population. The method involves a cross-sectional population-based study. A random age and gender stratified sample of 40,000 persons aged 20-80 years residing in Akershus, Hedmark or Oppland County, Norway were drawn by the National Population Register. A postal questionnaire containing the Berlin Questionnaire was used to classify respondents to be of either high or low risk of obstructive sleep apnea. Included in this study were 297 persons with high risk and 134 persons with low risk of sleep apnea, aged 30-65 years. They underwent an extensive clinical interview, a physical and a neurological examination by physicians, and in-hospital polysomnography. Those with apnea hypopnoea index (AHI) ≥5 were classified with obstructive sleep apnea. Tension-type headache was diagnosed according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders. Results showed the prevalence of frequent and chronic tension-type headache was 18.7 and 2.1% in the participants with obstructive sleep apnea. The logistic regression analyses showed no significant relationship between tension-type headache and obstructive sleep apnea, with adjusted odds ratios for frequent tension-type headache of 0.95 (0.55-1.62) and chronic tension-type headache of 1.91 (0.37-9.85). The results did not change when using cut-off of moderate (AHI ≥15) and severe (AHI ≥30) obstructive sleep apnea. Thus, we did not find any significant relationship between tension-type headache and the AHI. The presence and severity of sleep apneas seem not to influence presence and attack-frequency of tension-type headache in the general population.     

Verification of sleep apnea using a portable sleep apnea screening device

Sixty-seven patients referred to a sleep laboratory with a tentative diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea were examined with a device designed for home use as an apnea screening system. Direct comparison was made between data obtained by the portable device and by data acquired simultaneously with standard polysomnographic techniques. The portable recorder measured nasal/oral airflow, chest wall movement, cardiac rhythm, and blood oxygen saturation. There was no significant difference in the number of disordered breathing events (apneas and hypopneas) recorded by the two systems. The portable device was found to have a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 96%. Indications and limitations for use of the portable home apnea screening test are reviewed and guidelines for normalcy suggested.     

阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征患者低氧血症与动态血压变化关系的研究

目的：探讨阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征（OSAS）患者夜间低氧血症与动态血压变化的相互关系。方法：选择诊断为OSAS患者60例和正常对照组20例进行多导睡眠图检查和24小时动态血压监测。结果：①在OSASD组中,睡眠呼吸暂停低通气指数（AHI）、经皮血氧饱和度（SpO2)降低大于0．04的总次数、SpO2低于0．90的时间及SpO2降低幅度均明显高于正常对照组（P均＜0．001）;睡眠中SpO2最低值、SpO2平均值均低于正常对照组（P均＜0．001）;在轻、中、重度组间两两比较,上述指标也有显著性差异（P均＜0．001）。②轻度OSAS患者的动态血压及其昼夜节律的改变与正常组无显著性差异;中度OSAS患者的夜间平均收缩压（nMDP）及血压昼夜节律的改变与正常组无显著性差异（P＜0．05）;而重度OSAS组的动态血压改变更加明显（与正常对照组、轻、中度组组比有显著差异,P均＜0．05）;同时有夜间血压下降、切律紊乱,昼夜血压差值减少,尤其是舒张压昼夜变化差值减少更为明显。结论：OSAS病情越重,睡眠时SpO2降低的程度越显著,低氧血症也越明显。OSAS患者各期血压的平均水平与AHI、呼吸暂停持续时间及SpO2降低的程度显著相关,OSAS的病情越重,这种血压变化及昼夜切律改变越显著。