Untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea Increases Mortality Risk in HF

Identifying and treating OSA in HF patients may improve their prognoses.

The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) among patients with heart failure is striking — as high as 50% in some studies. OSA is associated with sympathetic nervous system activation, blood pressure elevation, and wide variations in intrathoracic pressures, all of which can have adverse consequences. The impact of OSA on outcomes in HF patients, however, is poorly understood.

Investigators at a specialty clinic used overnight polysomnography to assess sleep apnea in patients with chronic symptomatic HF and LV systolic dysfunction; those with central sleep apnea were excluded from the study. The analysis included 113 patients with either no or mild OSA (apnea-hypopnea index <15/hour) and 51 with at least moderate OSA (apnea-hypopnea ind…

Reviewing Author

Frederick A. Masoudi, MD, MSPH

Untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea Increases Mortality Risk in HF

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Reviewing Author