Continuous positive airway pressure ameliorates sleep-induced subclinical left ventricular systolic dysfunction: demonstration by two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography.

Aims: We hypothesized that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy could improve sleep-induced left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSA). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of CPAP therapy on LV systolic dysfunction during overnight sleep in patients with OSA using two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (2DSTE).

Methods And Results: 2D LV short-axis and apical views were acquired before and immediately after overnight sleeping in 32 patients with OSA and normal LV ejection fraction.

Cough syncope induced by gastroesophageal reflux disease.

A 52-year-old Japanese man was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of syncope and convulsions. An electrocardiogram on admission revealed normal sinus rhythm. However, after repeated bouts of coughing, the heart rate showed bradycardia associated with convulsion.

Overnight sleeping induced daily repetitive left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnoea: quantitative assessment using tissue Doppler imaging.

Aims: Although left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is frequently observed in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), the effects of overnight sleeping on LV function remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine acute effects of overnight sleeping on LV function in OSA patients.

Methods And Results: In 29 OSA patients with normal LVEF and 20 control subjects, tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), standard 2D, and Doppler echocardiography were acquired before and immediately after overnight sleep.