January 2010

Notes from the Section
Kudos to Valerie O. Cornelius, RRT-SDS, RPGST, for earning her sleep credentials. Valerie took the NBRC Sleep Disorders Specialty exam in May of last year, and the RPSGT exam in July. She currently works at AV Lung in Lancaster, CA. If you have a “kudos” to report, E-MAIL it to our section chair, Tony Stigall.

Self-Reported Sleep Duration and Body Composition
Studies have shown an inverse relationship between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI). New York researchers who looked at self-reported sleep duration and BMI, along with waist circumference and percent body fat, in men and women found a stronger association between self-reported sleep duration and body composition among women than men. The data were analyzed via three models, adjusted for (1) age and race, (2) lifestyle and demographics, and (3) physical activity. In men, results trended toward an inverse relationship between sleep duration and BMI in model 2 but not 3. In women, an inverse relationship was seen between sleep duration and BMI and waist circumference in model 2, but the results were insignificant in model 3. The study was published in the Nov. 12 Epub edition of the International Journal of Endocrinology. READ ABSTRACT

SDB and ICDs in CHF Patients
Does sleep disordered breathing (SDB) increase the risk of ventricular arrhythmia and appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) discharges in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients with ICDs? Yes, report Italian researchers publishing in the Dec. 30 Epub edition of Clinical Cardiology. They studied 22 patients, 17 of whom showed symptoms of SDB. Both the apnea-hypopnea index and severity of hypoxia during sleep correlated to appropriate ICD discharges. The findings held true even after the results were adjusted to control for left ventricular ejection fraction and the New York Heart Association class. READ ABSTRACT

OSA Treatment Leads to Resolution of Eye Problem
University of California researchers are reporting the first known case in which treatment for OSA resulted in a resolution of a common eye disorder known as central serous chorioretinopathy (CSR). CSR lesions had decreased vision bilaterally in the patient. Following a diagnosis of OSA and subsequent treatment, the CSR resolved and the patient’s visual acuity improved in both eyes. The report appeared in the Jan. 5 Epub edition of Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. READ ABSTRACT

OSA-18 Can’t Exclude OSA in Children
Don’t look to the OSA-18 quality of life questionnaire to replace polysomnography for the diagnosis of OSA in children. According to researchers from Montreal Children’s Hospital who looked at 334 children who had a nocturnal pulse oximetry study interpreted by the McGill oximetry score (MOS), the OSA-18 had a sensitivity of 40% and a negative predictive value of 73% for detecting an abnormal MOS. The odds of having an abnormal MOS were increased by 2% for each unit increase in the OSA-18 score. The odds of having an abnormal MOS were decreased by 17% for each 1-year increase in age. “Among children who are referred to a sleep laboratory, the OSA-18 does not accurately detect which children will have an abnormal MOS and cannot be used to exclude moderate-to-severe OSA,” conclude the authors. The study appears in this month’s Pediatrics. READ ABSTRACT