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Untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with conditions such as hypertension, heart failure, and arrhythmia, but is OSA linked to sudden cardiac death (SCD)? To find out, Mayo Clinic investigators analyzed data on more than 10,000 adults referred to the clinic's sleep lab between 1987 and 2003; mortality and cause of death were determined from death records.
During an average follow-up of 5.3 years, 142 patients suffered resuscitated or fatal SCD (annual rate, 0.27%). Lowest nocturnal oxygen saturation was an independent predictor of SCD, even after adjustment for clinical factors such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy or heart failure, or ventricular arrhythmia. An apnea-hypopnea index (number of events …