Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Beneficial effects of adaptive servo-ventilation on natriuretic peptides and diastolic function in acute heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction and sleep-disordered breathing.
Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) is a ventilator algorithm able to correct breathing through anticyclic support of breathing in patients with central sleep apnea (CSA). So far, very few data exist regarding the role of ASV on acute heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). ⋯ An acute use of ASV seems effective in reducing BNP and improving diastolic and RV function in acute HFpEF patients with SDB and CSA, compared to standard treatment.
-
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most commonly seen clinical sleep disorder. STOP-Bang, a widely used screening tool, yields a composite score based on eight dichotomized items including male gender. This study was designed to validate STOP-Bang among clinically referred patients and tested alternative scoring designs on tool performance, with a focus on gender differences in OSA. ⋯ Our study suggests that gender-specific consideration needs to be incorporated into the application of STOP-Bang in a clinically referred patient population with a higher risk of OSA. Alternative scoring systems may improve predictive performance of STOP-Bang.
-
Despite a broad range of diagnostic methods, identifying the site of obstruction in the upper respiratory tract in patients with obstructive sleep apnea is not always simple and straightforward. With regard to this problem, we present our observations about the specific shape of the epiglottis in patients with obstruction at the level of the tongue base and/or epiglottis. ⋯ In patients with obstructive sleep apnea, examinations in the awake state and drug-induced sleep endoscopy both showed that in most cases of obstruction at epiglottis and/or tongue base, the epiglottis was flat, i.e., lacking the typical anterior convexity in its upper part. We assume that the change of its shape is a result of degeneration of suspensory apparatus that maintains the shape of the epiglottis and holds it in its position. This could contribute to the better identification of patients with a narrowing at this level, and in turn to better decisions regarding the choice of the most suitable treatment.