Abstract
The aim of this study was to test whether an improvement of left ventricular ejection fraction in the early phase after acute myocardial infarction is associated with a reduction of the severity of central and obstructive sleep apnoea.
Forty consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction underwent polysomnography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging within 5 days and 12 weeks after the event to assess sleep apnoea and cardiac function. We stratified the sample in patients who improved their left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) within 12 weeks by ≥5% (improved-EF-group, ΔEF 9±1% , n=16) and in those who did not (unchanged-EF-group, ΔEF -1±1%, n=24).
Prevalence of sleep apnoea (≥15 apnoeas and hypopnoeas·h−1) within ≤5 days after myocardial infarction was 55%. Apnoeas and hypopnoeas·h−1 were significantly more reduced in the improved-EF-group compared to the unchanged-EF-group (−10±3 versus 1±3·h−1, p=0.036). This reduction was based on a significant alleviation of obstructive events (−7±2 versus 4±3·h−1, p=0.009), while the reduction of central events was similar between groups (p=0.906).
An improvement of cardiac function early after myocardial infarction is associated with an alleviation of sleep apnoea. This finding suggests that reevaluation of treatment indication for sleep apnoea is needed, when a change in cardiac function occurs.
- ERS