Recovery of heart rate variability in patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea after 6-month continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of long-term treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the heart rate variability (HRV) of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients.

Material And Method: Patients with moderate to severe OSA who had never used CPAP treatment were enrolled. Short recording HRV analysis was performed at baseline then at one, three, and six months after CPAP treatment.