Apnea-hypopnea index and the polysomnographic risk factors for predicting 5- to 8-year mortality in patients with OSA.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term mortality rates of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who received an overnight polysomnogram (PSG) for obtaining the diagnosis and to determine the relationship between PSG parameters and overall mortality. METHODS: Between 2007 and 2013, patients who had overnight PSG and were diagnosed with OSA were included in the study. Factors which are thought to influence mortality were assessed for 5-year and overall survival using the log rank test and Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Using multivariable Cox regression analysis, a model was constructed for factors influencing 5-year and overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 762 patients with a mean age of 52.7 (±10.8) and a dominance of men (74.7%) were studied. Gender, OSA severity subgroups, and apnea hypopnea index (AHI) were not statistically significantly associated with either 5-year or overall mortality (p<0.05 for both). Age, having a cardiovascular comorbidity, proportion of rapid eye movement (%REM), and total sleep time with an oxyhemoglobin saturation of less than 90% (T90) all showed a significant correlation with overall all-cause mortality in the model. For 5-year mortality and overall mortality, the hazard ration (HR) for T90 was 3.6 (95% CI (1.6-8.0) p=0.001) and 3 (95% CI (1.6-5.7) p=0.001), respectively. CONCLUSION: The study findings suggest that not AHI but PSG parameters of hypoxia, mainly T90, having cardiovascular comorbidity, and %REM sleep were significant risk factors for all-cause mortality in patients with OSA. The association of OSA, hypoxia, and mortality is an area that deserves further study.

The effect of positive pressure ventilation on serum ischemia-modified albumin levels in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Introduction: Respiratory abnormalities in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are corrected with positive pressure ventilation treatments. We investigated the effect of positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment on the serum level of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA), an oxidative stress product, in OSAS patients with higher body mass index (BMI) and indication for PAP treatment. Materials and Methods: Seven consecutive female and 23 male patients with a BMI of ≥30 kg/m2 who were diagnosed as having OSAS according to ICSD3 criteria and were planned for PAP, were included. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale and STOP-Bang Questionnaire were performed. Morning arterial blood gas, hemogram, biochemistry, insulin, and IMA were measured after polysomnography and after three months of PAP. Result: There were no significant changes in lactate, CRP, and serum electrolyte levels measured before and after PAP, except for potassium. When 30 patients were compared in terms of serum IMA levels at baseline and after treatment, the mean baseline value was 0.56 absorbance units (ABSU), and the 3rd-month follow-up IMA value was 0.53 ABSU (p= 0.537). The mean serum fasting insulin level was 15.85 µIU/mL and 11.6 (p= 0.002) and the mean HOMA index was 4.4 and 3.0 (p= 0.001), respectively. Conclusions: Serum IMA levels seem not to be an appropriate marker for the evaluation of PAP treatment in OSAS patients with higher BMI. PAP is associated with a decrease in the fasting insulin level, HOMA index, and hematocrit, but not with serum electrolytes except potassium.

COVID-19 phobia in healthcare workers; a cross-sectional study from a pandemic hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus. The purpose of this study was to evaluate COVID-19 phobia levels of HCWs of a pandemic hospital and explore associated factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted on HCWs employed in a pandemic hospital. A total of 365 HCWs (95 physicians, 187 nurses and 83 assistant healthcare staffs) were included in the study. In order to evaluate COVID-19 phobia, coronavirus-19 phobia scale (C19P-S) was administrated. Chronophobia levels of frontline and nonfrontline HCWs were compared. Additionally, the effect of working in different departments, profession and associated factors on COVID-19 phobia was evaluated. RESULT: Overall, 172 HCWs completed the C19P-S and agreed to participate in the study. Mean total CP19P-S score of the HCWs included in the study was 50.1 ± 17.3. Of the study population, 59.3% participants were frontline HCWs and 40.7% were non-frontline HCWs. When frontline HCWs and nonfrontline HCWs were compared in terms of total C19P-S and subscales scores (psychological, psycho-somatic, economic, social), no statistically significant differences were found (p= 0.914, p= 0.687, p= 0.766, p= 0.347, p= 0.794, respectively).When the HCWs were divided into three groups according to departments (clinics, intensive care unit (ICU), emergency department) where they worked regardless of whether they cared for patients with COVID-19, HCWs employed in the ICUs had the highest scores regarding total C19P-S and subscales scores (p= 0.002, p= 0.001, p= 0.001, p= 0.012, p= 0.002,respectively) . Profession based comparison revealed no significant difference between the groups regarding total C19P-S score (p= 0.117). CONCLUSIONS: It is essential to make a comprehensive evaluation regarding the effects of pandemics on HCWs, not only for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic but also to protect the mental health of HCWs. Critical care professions appear to need particular attention among HCWs. The C19P-S, which assesses coronaphobia levels with psychological, psycho-somatic, economic, and social aspects could be a convenient screening tool for evaluating COVID-19 phobia levels in HWCs.

Validation of the NoSAS score for screening sleep-disordered breathing: A sleep clinic- based study in Turkey

Background/aim: The NoSAS score is a new tool for the identification of high-risk patients for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). The aim of this study was to validate the NoSAS score in a sleep clinical population in Turkey and compare its performance with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), STOP-Bang, and Berlin questionnaires for high-risk SDB. Materials and methods: This was a retrospective study. Patients who had a full-night PSG examination between 01.03.2017 and 01.01.2018 at the sleep center of our hospital were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, anthropometrics measurements, ESS, STOP-Bang, and Berlin scores were collected from the existing data of the patients. The NoSAS score was subsequently calculated based on available data. Predictive parameters for each screening questionnaires were calculated to compare the discriminative power of those for high-risk SDB. Results: A total of 450 patients were included in the study. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of the NoSAS score were 81%, 51.2%, 88.2%, and 37.5% for an AHI (apnea­hypopnea index) ≥ 5 event/h and 84.5%, 38.2%, 66%, and 63.4% for an AHI ≥ 15 event/h, respectively. AUC percentages for the NoSAS score, STOP-Bang questionnaire, Berlin questionnaire, and ESS were 0.740, 0.737, 0.626, and 0.571 for an AHI ≥ 5 events/h and 0.715, 0.704, 0.574, and 0.621 for an AHI ≥ 30 events/h. The NoSAS score had a false negative rate of 2.9% for severe SDB. Conclusion: The NoSAS score had a good degree of differentiation for SDB and can be used as an easily applicable, subjective, and effective screening tool in a sleep clinical population in Turkey. Not only in moderate to severe SDB but also in mild SDB, the NoSAS score performed better than the other 3 screening tools.

Effect of prone positioning in mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Sleeping in prone position could be effective in the management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome by reducing the gravity effect on the upper airway and hence collapsibility. Effect of pure prone positioning (PPP) treatment was investigated in mild to moderate OSA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-nine mild to moderate OSA patients (17 males, 12 females) who gave informed consent were tested with polysomnography at diagnostic and PPP nights. PPP device consisted of a pillow mounted on a table with a hole in the middle keeping the neck 180° extended in prone position. Mean ± SD of age and AHI were 48.4 ± 10.6 and 15.5 ± 6.2, respectively. Patients did not have abdominal and/or truncalobesity, or any condition that could interfere with prone sleeping. RESULTS: AHI (mean difference: PPP treatment - diagnostic night: -5.2/h, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.1/h to -10.3/h, p = 0.04) and sleep oxygen saturation below 90% (mean difference: -1.80%, 95% CI: -0.22% to -3.37%, p = 0.02) and sleep efficiency (81.0 ± 21.2% and 88.1 ± 7.1 %, respectively, p = 0.02) were significantly lower in PPP than diagnostic night. Response to PPP treatment defined as AHI <5/h in the PPP night was observed in 15 (51.7%) patients, with a better rate in female than male patients (9/12 vs. 6/17, respectively, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the effect of prone positioning in the treatment of mild to moderate OSA. Application of PPP with a more comfortable design in a randomized clinical trial is required to investigate its long term effect in the treatment of mild to moderate OSA.

The impact of active and former smoking on the severity of obstructive sleep apnea.

PURPOSE: Although obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome is a common disorder; the connection between OSA and smoking habits is still controversial. In this study, we investigated whether active smoking and pack × years of smoking have an impact on the severity of the disease regarding the patients with OSA. METHODS: This study included 964 patients referred to the Sleep Disorders Clinic between 01.01.2007 and 01.03.2013 with an overnight polysomnographic diagnosis of OSA. The correlation between smoking habits and polysomnographic parameters has been studied in detail. RESULTS: There were 684 male (79 %) and 280 female (21 %) patients, 367 (50.6 %) of whom never smoked. Of all, 20.7 % of the smokers were current smokers (n = 150) while 28.2 % were former smokers (n = 208). Active smokers had a mean age of 49.53 (SD 10.17) while former smokers and never smokers had a mean age of 51.37 (SD 10.62), 54.2 (SD 11.56), respectively, which was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). There was a significant male predominance in smoking (p < 0.0001). In addition, male patients displayed more severe OSA than female patients. (p = 0.001). Desaturation time during sleep was found to be significantly longer in the group of former smokers in comparison to never smokers (73.84 SD 97.1-52 SD 85.8) (p = 0.005). Besides, as the apnea hypopnea index increased, the mean pack × years rose significantly (p = 0.01). Severe smokers compared to mild smokers had higher AHI, lower NREM 3, higher NREM1-2 stages (p = 0. 017, p = 0.007, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In this study, we found that cigarette smoking was associated with early age disease; heavy smokers had more severe OSA.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and gastroesophageal reflux disease: the importance of obesity and gender.

BACKGROUND: It is claimed that gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) increases in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of GERD in patients with OSAS and primary snoring and identify OSAS-related risk factors associated with GERD. METHODS: In this prospective, cross-sectional, multicenter study, in total 1,104 patients were recruited for polysomnography: 147 subjects were in non-OSAS (primary snoring) and 957 patients were in OSAS group. All patients completed a validated GERD questionnaire. Demographic, anthropometric characteristics, and medical history were recorded. RESULTS: The prevalence of GERD was similar in OSAS (38.9%) and non-OSAS (32.0%) groups (p = 0.064). There was no difference in terms of major gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms (heartburn/acid regurgitation) between non-OSAS and mild, moderate, and severe OSAS groups. The prevalence of GERD was increased in female OSAS patients (46.6%) compared to males (35.7%) (p = 0.002). In OSAS patients with GERD, body mass index was greater (34.0 ± 7.0 vs. 33.1 ± 6.8, p = 0.049), waist (115.5 ± 13.9 vs. 113.1 ± 13.4, p = 0.007) and hip (117.9 ± 13.7 vs. 114.2 ± 12.8, p < 0.0001) circumferences were larger, and Epworth sleepiness scores were higher (10.3 ± 6.0 vs. 8.8 ± 5.6, p < 0.0001) than OSAS patients without GERD. Multivariate analysis showed that GERD was significantly associated with female gender, hip circumference, and daytime sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort, the prevalence of GERD was significantly increased in those with primary snoring and OSAS compared to the general population, but severity of OSAS did not influence GERD prevalence. The present results suggest that OSAS was not likely a causative factor but female gender, obesity, and sleepiness were related with prevalence of GERD in OSAS patients.

Does CPAP therapy alter urinary albumin level in adult patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome?

BACKGROUND: Urinary albumin is a marker of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and also it has been viewed as a marker for vascular endothelial dysfunction in both the kidneys and systemic vasculature. Lowering urinary albumin is associated with fewer cardiovascular and renal diseases. We investigated the change in urinary albumin after 1 month of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). METHODS: Eighteen patients (four females) in the middle-age group with moderate to severe OSAS were enrolled, who received and were compliant to CPAP therapy. Patients did not have a systemic disease or use a medication that could influence urinary albumin. Blood and urine samples were obtained in the morning after polysomnography and after 1 month of CPAP therapy to measure urinary albumin excretion and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio. RESULTS: Urinary albumin excretion (UAE) and urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) decreased significantly after 1 month of CPAP therapy: UAE at baseline and 1 month, 50 (1.1-174.8) and 22.7 (4.1-55.9); UACR, 27 (18.5-51.6) and 10.6 (4.3-43.1). UAE alteration was significantly associated with proportion of sleep time spent below an SaO2 of 90%. Serum creatinine, serum total cholesterol, and creatinine clearance also decreased after 1 month of CPAP therapy. CONCLUSION: Albuminuria is not rare in patients with OSAS and can be corrected after CPAP therapy. Determination of urinary albumin level is a simple, inexpensive, and noninvasive method that could be a promising biomarker to identify a high-risk population in patients with OSAS who may benefit from closer medical follow-up and preventive therapy.

Nocturnal hypoxia and arterial lactate levels in sleep-related breathing disorders.

BACKGROUND: Lactate may be useful in pointing out the higher risk subgroups in sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) with various patterns of hypoxemia. We aimed to search whether morning and night lactate levels are related to apnea-hypopnea, hypoventilation, and hypoxemia in patients with SRBD and to compare it with patients without SRBD (No-SRBD). METHODS: Eighty patients with suspected SRBD underwent polysomnography (PSG) testing. SRBD patients had obstructive sleep apnea syndrome with or without sleep-related hypoventilation/hypoxemic conditions. Patients without SRBD were in the control group. Measurements included pulmonary function testing, PSG, analysis of arterial blood gases, and arterial lactate before and after PSG. Arterial lactate was compared with SRBD and No-SRBD patients. RESULTS: Morning lactate was significantly higher in the SRBD group than the No-SRBD group (1.65 +/- 0.48 and 1.35 +/- 0.57 mmol/L, respectively) (P = 0.003). Lactate levels at night and the change overnight in lactate levels were not significantly different between groups. After an adjustment for age, gender, and body mass index, lactate levels before PSG were related to the apnea-hypopnea index (beta: 0.004, 95% CI: 0.000-0.008) and the rate of sleep-time spent under 90% oxygen saturation (T90%). The following morning lactate level was correlated with the T90% (beta: 0.005, 95% CI: 0.000-0.010). After an adjustment for lactate levels before PSG, lactate in the morning was correlated with T90% (beta: 0.004, 95% CI: 0.000-0.008). CONCLUSION: As a marker of tissue hypoxia, arterial lactate may be used to assess the severity of SRBD.

Absenteeism and Delay to Work Due to Sleep Disorders in the Turkish Adult Population: A Questionnaire-Based National Survey.

Sleep problems may have negative effects on work-life balance, overall health, and safety. We aimed to investigate the association between sleep disorders and absenteeism and delay to work (being late or tardy) among the working adult population. The study was conducted by using data from a large survey of working adults who participated in the Turkish Adult Population Epidemiology of Sleep Study (TAPES) managed by Turkish Sleep Medicine Society (TSMS). Secondary analyses was employed to examine absenteeism and delay to work and their associations with sleep problems, including sleepiness by Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), parasomnias, sleep apnea (by Berlin Questionnaire), sleep quality (by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and restless leg. History of any absenteeism and delay to work was observed in 276 (18%) and 443 (29%) out of 1,533 working adults, respectively. In the multivariate analyses, absenteeism was associated with younger age, female gender and poor sleep quality, while delay to work was associated with younger age, poor sleep quality, parasomnia, and sleepiness. In the presence of absenteeism and delay to work, sleep disorders including sleepiness, poor sleep quality, and parasomnia should be considered. Such evaluation may improve worker well-being and provide some additional benefits in terms of increasing productivity and lowering work-related costs.

Noninvasive assisted pressure-controlled ventilation: as effective as pressure support ventilation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is being increasingly used in hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients but the most appropriate ventilation mode is still not known. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate if assisted pressure-controlled ventilation (APCV) can be a better alternative to pressure-support ventilation (PSV) for NIV in COPD patients with acute hypercapnic respiratory failure (AHRF). METHODS: In this prospective randomized study, we evaluated the early effects of noninvasive APCV and PSV in 34 consecutive COPD patients with AHRF. Patients were randomized into 1 of the 2 modes, and respiratory and hemodynamic values were compared before and after 1 h of NIV. RESULTS: Baseline values did not differ between the 2 groups. There were significant improvements in partial arterial carbon dioxide pressure and pH levels in the APCV group when compared with baseline (p < 0.05). Cardiac output and cardiac index decreased in both groups (p < 0.05) but more significantly in the PSV group (p < 0.0001). The decreases in stroke volume index and increases in arterial oxygen content after NIV were also considerable in both groups (p < 0.05). Central venous pressure and systemic vascular resistance index values increased notably only after PSV (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: From these data, we deduce that APCV can be a better alternative to PSV for NIV in COPD patients with AHRF owing to its more beneficial physiological effects.

Is non-thyroidal illness syndrome a predictor for prolonged weaning in intubated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients?

INTRODUCTION: Non-thyroidal illness syndrome (NTIS) is considered to be associated with adverse outcomes in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. In this study, we evaluated the association between NTIS and prolonged weaning in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients admitted to the ICU. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 125 patients with COPD admitted to our ICU who underwent invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) were enrolled. We collected each patient's baseline characteristics including Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, body mass index (BMI), and thyroid hormones 24 h after ICU admission. The presence of pulmonary infection was also recorded. The primary outcome was prolonged weaning, defined as patients who failed at least three weaning attempts or required > 7 days of weaning after the first spontaneous breathing trial. RESULTS: Of the 127 patients studied, 64 had normal thyroid function tests and 61 had NTIS. Patients with NTIS had significantly higher APACHE II scores, prolonged weaning, and pulmonary infection. Patients with NTIS had a higher risk for prolonged weaning (odds ratio, OR = 3.21; 95% CI = 1.31-7.83).The presence of pulmonary infection was also an independent risk factors for prolonged weaning. CONCLUSIONS: NTIS may be an independent predictor for prolonged weaning in intubated COPD patients.

Can non-thyroid illness syndrome predict mortality in lung cancer patients? A prospective cohort study.

This study aims to evaluate the incidence of non-thyroid illness syndrome (NTIS) among patients diagnosed as lung cancer and its association with the stage of the disease, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score, nutritional parameters, and survival. We enrolled 120 patients that 71 of them with newly diagnosed and staged non-small cell lung cancer and 49 of them small-cell lung cancer. The cases were examined for thyroid function tests, ECOG performance score, and nutritional evaluation before treatment. Also, cases were evaluated for their overall survival rates. NTIS was identified in 30 (42 %) of the 71 non-small cell lung cancer patients and 22 (44 %) of the 49 small-cell lung cancer patients. NTIS was more frequent among advanced stage of cases. Serum albumin level, cholesterol level, lymphocyte level, and body mass index were detected to be significantly low and ECOG performance score was significantly high in cases with NTIS when compared to cases without NTIS. NTIS was found to be negatively correlated with body mass index, ECOG performance score, and serum albumin level, and it was positively correlated with disease stage. NTIS was detected significantly as a poor prognostic factor for lung cancer. NTIS was frequently seen in cases with non-small cell lung cancer and small-cell lung cancer. NTIS can be used as a predictor of poor prognosis for lung cancer patients.

Association of duration of sleep and cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities in sleep apnea syndrome.

Background/Aim. Previous population-based studies found association between duration of sleep and cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. Our aim was to investigate the association between the duration of sleep and cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities in OSAS. Patients and Methods. The study enrolled 312 patients, who had polysomnography (PSG) during 2006-2007 and responded to a telephone-administered questionnaire providing information on characteristics of sleep on average 12 months after PSG. Results. Of the patients, 90 were female (28.8%), 173 (58.5) received the diagnosis of OSAS, 150 (45%) had no comorbidities, 122 had hypertension (HT), 44 had diabetes mellitus (DM), and 38 had coronary heart disease (CHD). Mean ± SD of age in years was 47.2 ± 10.6, 56.5 ± 9.3, 53.2 ± 8.9, and 59.9 ± 9.0 for the no comorbidity, HT, DM, and CHD groups, respectively. Reported duration of sleep was not associated with any of the comorbidities in the overall group. In the analysis restricted to OSAS patients, sleep duration ≤6 hours was significantly associated with CHD after the adjustment for age, gender, and other associated factors (OR: 5.8, 95% CI: 1.0-32.6). Conclusions. Confirmation of the association between shorter duration of sleep and CHD will provide prognostic information and help for the management of OSAS.