[Nocturnal heart rhythm disorder in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome].

Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics of patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and nocturnal arrhythmia.

Methods: During September 2010 to August 2011, a total of 446 subjects were recruited from Department of Sleep Breathing Disorder, Third Hospital, Hebei Medical University to receive polysomnography examination and electrocardiogram monitoring. According to the results, they were classified as mild (5 ≤ AHI < 15/h) or moderate (15 ≤ AHI < 40/h) or severe (AHI ≥ 40/h) OSAS.

[Changes of the characteristics of sleep apnea in heart failure patients and the associated factors].

Objective: To investigate the changes of the characteristics of sleep apnea in heart failure patients with periodic breathing disorder and to explore the influencing factors.

Methods: According to the characteristics of sleep apnea after polysomnography (PSG) for 2 nights, 54 patients with heart failure were divided into 3 groups: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), central sleep apnea (CSA) and OSA-CSA switching groups, with 18 patients each. t test was used for comparison between the first and the second PSG data, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), periodic breathing cycle length (PBCL) and lung to finger circulation time (LFCT) in the same patient.

Subjective sleepiness in heart failure patients with sleep-related breathing disorder.

Background: Previous studies show that sleep-related breathing disorder (SRBD) is common in patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with increased mortality. This study aimed to determine whether there was significant difference of subjective daytime sleepiness between HF patients with and without SRBD.

Methods: We enrolled, prospectively, 195 consecutive HF patients with left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF) < or = 45% and all subjects underwent polysomnography to measure the sleep structure between 2005 and 2008.