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.

Laryngeal Botulinum Toxin Injection: Can It Be a Cause of Obstructive Sleep Apnea as an Adverse Effect?

Spasmodic dysphonia is a chronic voice disorder that is characterized by involuntary spasms of the laryngeal muscles during speech production. Botulinum toxin injection into to the laryngeal muscles is the most common and effective treatment of choice for symptoms of spasmodic dysphonia. We present a 44-year-old man with adductor spasmodic dysphonia who was diagnosed as having upper airway obstruction in a polysomnographic examination during sleep after a botulinum toxin injection.

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.

Evaluation of the Impact of Body Position on Primary Central Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the body position on primary central sleep apnea syndrome. METHODS: Fifty-five subjects diagnosed with central sleep apnea (CSA) through polysomnographic examinations were prospectively enrolled in the study. All patients underwent cardiologic and neurologic examinations. Primary positional central sleep apnea (PCSA) was determined when the supine Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) was greater than two times the non-supine AHI. The primary PCSA and non-PCSA groups were compared in terms of demographic characteristics, sleep parameters, and treatment approaches. RESULTS: Overall, 39 subjects diagnosed with primary CSA were included in the study; 61.5% of the subjects had primary PCSA. There were no differences between the primary PCSA and non-PCSA groups regarding age, sex, body mass index (BMI), co-morbidities, and history of septoplasty. In terms of polysomnography parameters, AHI (P=.001), oxygen desaturation index (P=.002), the time spent under 88% saturation during sleep (P=.003), number of obstructive apnea (P=.011), mixed apnea (P=.009), and central apnea (P=.007) was lower in the primary PCSA group than in the non-PCSA group. Twenty-nine percent of the patients in the primary PCSA group were recommended position treatment and 71% were recommended positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy; all patients in the non-PCSA group were recommended PAP therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that the rate of primary PCSA was high (61.5%) and primary PCSA was associated with milder disease severity compared with non-PCSA. The classification of patients with primary CSA regarding positional dependency may be helpful in terms of developing clinical approaches and treatment recommendations.

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.

Which Screening Questionnaire is Best for Predicting Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Sleep Clinic Population Considering Age, Gender, and Comorbidities?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive power of the screening questionnaires including Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Berlin questionnaire (BQ) and STOP-Bang questionnaire (SBQ) to identify the high-risk patients for OSA in a sleep clinic setting considering age, gender and comorbidities. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1003 patients who admitted to our sleep center with the preliminary diagnosis of OSA between June 2016-May 2018 were included in the study. All patients underwent in-lab polysomnographic examination and filled out ESS, Berlin and STOP-Bang questionnaires. Predictive parameters for each screening questionnaires were calculated. RESULTS: For apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5/h, the sensitivity and the specificity of the EES, BQ and SBQ were 50.6%, 89.8%, 97.9% and 56.6%, 27.3%, 16.2% respectively. The STOP-Bang questionnaire had the highest sensitivity in both males and females (99.1%, 94.8% respectively) and in the different age groups (97.3% for ≥45 age-group, 99.2% for ≥65 age-group). In the groups of patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, the sensitivity of the STOP-Bang questionnaire was 99.5%, 100%, 99.5%, 100%, 97.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The STOP-Bang questionnaire had the highest sensitivity for detecting high-risk patients for OSA in a sleep clinic setting. STOP-Bang questionnaire was superior to the Berlin questionnaire and ESS in the different groups of age, gender, and comorbidities. Considering the close relationship between OSA and comorbidities, it is critical to screen patients in terms of OSA in outpatient clinics of internal medicine, cardiology, and chest disease departments. The STOP-Bang questionnaire, with its high sensitivity, may be useful for screening OSA. However, the low specificity should be improved in the questionnaire.

The effect of hypoxia on hearing function

Background/aim: This study was conducted to determine the critical partial oxygen pressure (pO2) value that would impair hearing function by evaluating the effects of hypoxia on hearing function in subjects diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (CPOD). Materials and methods: The study included 25 male and 5 female patients referred to our clinic who were diagnosed with COPD, according to spirometry and PaO2 values, and who did not show pathology upon autoscopic examination. The control group consisted of 14 female and 16 male patients who had no lung disease and were in the same age range as the COPD group. Results: A statistically significant difference was found between the two groups for distortion-product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) (P < 0.001). The COPD group was divided into two groups according to pO2 levels (pO2 ≤ 70 and pO2 > 70) in order to find a critical pO2 level which might cause significant change at a certain audiological extent. Conclusion: Hypoxia causes long-term decline in hearing thresholds, deterioration of DPOAE results, and prolongation of I­V interpeak latency in auditory brainstem response. However, the critical oxygen level that disrupts hearing function could not be determined.