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The increased mortality among patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome has been explained in part by the increased incidence of arterial and pulmonary hypertension. A decreased heart rate variability (HRV) has been shown to be associated with an increased mortality as well. We investigated 53 patients, admitted to the hospital for chest pain for sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) with an ambulatory screening device (MESAM-IV). HRV was recorded simultaneously. All patients received coronary artery catheterization and 36 had significant coronary artery disease (CAD; 67.9%). Standard time domain parameters were compared by a 4-way Anova for patients with an oxygen desaturation index of more and less than 5/hour and the factors CAD, diabetes and beta-blocker use. The percentage of differences between RR intervals that differ more than 50 ms (pNN > 50: 9.0 +/- 11.1 vs. 19.2 +/- 22.2%: p 50 (r = 0.34, p < 0.01). This correlation might suggest a more profound pathophysiological interaction between HRV and SRBD than short-term vagal activation alone. The results favor HRV for inclusion in future risk stratification models in patients with sleep apnea syndrome.
Bauer et al. (Wed,) studied this question.