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Sleep-disordered breathing is one of the complications commonly seen in patients with adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) due to multiple causes including complex underlying cardiac defects, cardiomegaly, previous thoracotomies, obesity, scoliosis, and paralysis of the diaphragm. It is often hard to determine its main cause and predict the efficacy of each treatment in its management. We herein report a 30-year-old woman after biventricular repair of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum diagnosed as sleep-related hypoventilation disorder. Simultaneous treatment targeting obesity, paralysis of the diaphragm, and cardiomegaly followed by respiratory muscle reinforcement through non-invasive ventilation resolved her sleep-related hypoventilation disorder. Such management for each factor responsible for the hypoventilation is expected to provide synergetic therapeutic efficacy and increase daily activity in a patient with ACHD.

An elderly patient was admitted to our hospital for acute heart failure soon after receiving influenza vaccination. On admission, chest radiography revealed pulmonary edema. An electrocardiogram showed poor R progression, and echocardiography showed diffuse hypokinesis and myocardial edema. The serum troponin level was elevated. A histopathological evaluation indicated active myocarditis with lymphocyte-predominant infiltrates. A drug-induced lymphocyte stimulation test (DLST) was positive. The patient rapidly recovered from heart failure after treatment with conventional heart failure drugs, such as intravenous diuretics and vasodilators. These experimental data and the clinical course suggest that influenza vaccination was responsible for heart failure due to acute lymphocyte myocarditis.

Background: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is prevalent and associated with increased mortality in patients both with and without cardiovascular disease (CVD). Many portable monitoring devices, including peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT)-based devices, have been developed. Although previous studies have demonstrated that the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) determined by PAT devices (pAHI) is strongly correlated with AHI determined by polysomnography (AHI-PSG), no data have been reported from a Japanese patient population or patients with CVD. In this study we compared the parameters determined by PAT-based devices with those determined by polysomnography in Japanese patients with CVD. Methods and Results: We enrolled 120 patients undergoing overnight polysomnography at 6 Japanese centers. A PAT-based device was used simultaneously with polysomnography. Polysomnography recordings were scored centrally by a technician in a blinded manner. PAT-based device recordings were scored using an automatic algorithm. There was a strong correlation between pAHI and AHI-PSG (r=0.896; P

Since obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known as a common cause of secondary hypertension, it is necessary to consider OSA a differential diagnosis in treating patients with hypertension. Apnea during sleep causes temporary and repeated hypoxia and subsequent sympathetic nerve activation. Furthermore, dysfunction of endothelial cells due to hypoxia is considered another mechanism leading to enhanced stiffness of the elastic artery and eventually, elevation of blood pressure (BP). As a result, OSA induces a nighttime or morning surge in BP, and long-standing severe OSA also causes daytime hypertension. Therefore, treatment of OSA may be important for BP control, especially in severe OSA cases. For the treatment of OSA, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a major treatment option, though alternative devices may be useful in CPAP-intolerant cases.

Small studies in Western populations report a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with Down syndrome. To date, ethnic differences have not been explored. A questionnaire sent to 2,752 adults with Down syndrome aged ≥16 years in Scotland and Japan (789 valid responses) estimated OSA prevalence based on reported symptoms. Symptoms were common in both countries, with snoring (p = 0.001) and arousals (p = 0.04) more prevalent in Japan. Estimated OSA prevalence in adults with Down syndrome was similar in the two countries, and raised in comparison with the general adult population (19.6% in Scotland and 14.3% in Japan; p = 0.08), though BMI was a confounder. Identification and treatment of OSA is recommended in adults with Down syndrome, regardless of ethnicity.

Pulse transit time (PTT), which refers to the travel time between two arterial sites within the same cardiac cycle, has been developed as a novel cuffless form of continuous blood pressure (BP) monitoring. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in BP parameters, including BP variability, between those assessed by beat-to-beat PTT-estimated BP (eBPBTB) and those assessed by intermittent PTT-estimated BP at fixed time intervals (eBPINT) in patients suspected of having sleep disordered breathing (SDB). In 330 patients with SDB (average age, 66.8 ± 11.9 years; 3% oxygen desaturation index [ODI], 21.0 ± 15.0/h) from 8 institutes, PTT-estimated BP was continuously recorded during the nighttime. The average systolic eBPBTB, maximum systolic and diastolic eBPBTB, standard deviation (SD) of systolic and diastolic eBPBTB, and coefficient variation (CV) of systolic and diastolic eBPBTB were higher than the respective values of eBPINT (all P BTB and eBPINT in average systolic BP and SD and CV of systolic BP, while there were disagreements in both minimum and maximum values of eBPBTB and eBPINT in patients with high systolic BP (P BTB and eBPINT (all P BTB and eBPINT. In patients with suspected SDB, the difference between eBPBTB and eBPINT was minimal, and there were disagreements regarding both the minimum and maximum BP. However, there were agreements in regard to the index of BP variability between eBPBTB and eBPINT.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is associated with depression in the general population. Although depression can lead to adverse events during the perinatal period, the association between RLS and depression remains under debate. Thus, we examined the association between depression and RLS, including RLS-associated symptoms, in pregnant women. We evaluated the presence of RLS and RLS-associated symptoms in 135 pregnant women using questionnaires on RLS symptoms based on Allen's symptoms and the International Restless Legs Syndrome Rating Scale (IRLS), respectively. We defined RLS as 4/4 on Allen's symptoms. Depressive status was evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. The mean±SD of age was 31.8 ± 4.3 years, and none of the participants had a family history of RLS. Ten percent of women had depression during their pregnancy and demonstrated higher IRLS scores than those without depression (6.1 ± 10.5 vs. 0.7 ± 3.8 points

Physical activity (PA) in the daily life is strongly related to prognosis in patients with or at high risk of heart failure (HF). However, factors limiting habitual exercise and their prognostic impacts remain unknown in HF patients. We sent questionnaires asking factors limiting habitual exercise in the daily life to 8370 patients with Stage A/B/C/D HF in our nationwide registry and received valid responses from 4935 patients (mean age 71.8 years, 71.0% male). Among the 5 components consisting of “busyness”, “weak will”, “dislike, “socioeconomic reasons” and “diseases” in the questionnaires, “busyness” (34.5%) and “diseases” (34.7%) were the most frequently reported factors limiting habitual exercise, while “socioeconomic reasons” were the least (15.3%). Multiple Cox proportional hazard models indicated that “busyness”and “diseases” were associated with better (hazard ratio (HR) 0.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39–0.72, P

The purposes of this study were: (1) to confirm the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in Japanese children using nocturnal pulse oximetry (NPOx) as a screening tool and (2) to examine what kind of parameters are suitable for the evaluation of SDB in children. We conducted a study of 99 children between 4 and 15-year-old and obtained their demographic characteristics and the presence of SDB-related symptoms by questionnaire from their parents. In our study, 36% had been Down syndrome (DS), 25% had cardiovascular disease and 34% had dental/oral abnormality. As SDB-related symptoms, snoring (35%), awake disturbance (48%), arousal (41%) and nocturia (19%) were reported. We analyzed each parameter based on the previous reported data of children and temporary defined normal range as follows; 3%ODI 89% and McGill oximetry score = 1. In non-DS group, each parameter showed abnormal value especially in younger group (abnormality; 61–94%), but the abnormality was decreased during the growth (abnormality; 11–63%). Interestingly, in DS group the value of each parameter was kept on abnormal during the growth (abnormality; 55–100%). We investigated the correlation between McGill oximetry score and ODI or SpO2 nadir. There was a significant positive correlation between McGill oximetry score and 3% or 4% ODI. Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between McGill oximetry score and SpO2 nadir. Based on NPOx screening, prevalence of SDB was high; however, it was decreased during the growth in non-DS group. Each parameter might be useful for SDB screening in children.

Lung to finger circulation time (LFCT) has been used to estimate cardiac function. We developed a new LFCT measurement device using a laser sensor at fingertip. We measured LFCT by measuring time from re-breathing after 20 seconds of breath hold to the nadir of the difference of transmitted red light and infrared light, which corresponds to percutaneous oxygen saturation. Fifty patients with heart failure were enrolled. The intrasubject stability of the measurement was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The ICC calculated from 44 cases was 0.85 (95% confidence interval:0.77-0.91), which means to have “Excellent reliability.” By measuring twice, at least one clear LFCT value was obtained in 89.1% of patients and the overall measurability was 95.7%. We conducted all LFCT measurements safely. High ICCs were obtained even after dividing patients according to age, cardiac index (CI), and New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification; 0.85 and 0.84 (≥ 75 or < 75 years group, respectively), 0.81 and 0.84 (N=28, ≥ or < 2.2 L/min/M2), 0.82 and 0.94 (NYHA Class I-II or Class III). These results show that our new method to measure LFCT is highly stable and feasible for any type of heart failure patients.

Background: Respiratory stability index (RSI), a semi-quantitative measure of respiratory instability, was found to reflect congestive and other clinical status of acutely decompensated heart failure in the PROST study. Given that the association between RSI and another important factors affecting respiration, such as peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), and the influence of oxygen inhalation on this association were undetermined, and that the association between common sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) parameters and RSI was unknown, we performed a subanalysis using PROST data. Methods and Results: Correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between RSI, SpO2, and other SDB parameters (3% oxygen desaturation index [3%ODI], respiratory disturbance index [RDI]) using Spearman's rank correlation. RSI and overnight mean SpO2 were not significantly correlated either after admission (n=38) or before discharge (n=36; r=0.27, P=0.10 and r=0.05, P=0.76, respectively). This correlation was also not affected by presence or absence of oxygen inhalation. 3%ODI, RDI and RSI were significantly and inversely correlated both after admission and before discharge. Conclusions: RSI and blood oxygen level were not significantly correlated irrespective of oxygen inhalation, while the SDB parameters were significantly correlated, suggesting that RSI reflects lung congestion independently of blood oxygen concentration and, thus, can be a useful indicator of the non-invasive assessment of lung congestion.

Lung to finger circulation time (LFCT) has been used to estimate cardiac function. We developed a new LFCT measurement device using a laser sensor at fingertip. We measured LFCT by measuring time from re-breathing after 20 s of breath hold to the nadir of the difference of transmitted red light and infrared light, which corresponds to percutaneous oxygen saturation. Fifty patients with heart failure were enrolled. The intrasubject stability of the measurement was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The ICC calculated from 44 cases was 0.85 (95% confidence interval: 0.77–0.91), which means to have “Excellent reliability.” By measuring twice, at least one clear LFCT value was obtained in 89.1% of patients and the overall measurability was 95.7%. We conducted all LFCT measurements safely. High ICCs were obtained even after dividing patients according to age, cardiac index (CI); 0.85 and 0.84 (≥ 75 or 2). These results show that our new method to measure LFCT is highly stable and feasible for any type of heart failure patients.

Mandibular advancement device (MAD) is an alternative therapeutic option for CPAP to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). While MAD showed the better adherence, patients with over moderate OSA have been treated more frequently with CPAP despite increasing positive evidence on the cardiovascular outcome with MAD, even in severe patients. Thus, more information is needed regarding the cardiovascular and symptomatic outcome of MAD treatment objectively compared to CPAP. Forty-five supine-dependent OSA patients (apnea-hypopnea index 20-40/h) were randomized to either CPAP or MAD and treated for 8 weeks and switched to another for 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was improvement in the endothelial function, indexed by the flow-mediated dilatation (FMD), and the secondary endpoint was the sleep-time blood pressure (BP). The duration of MAD use was evaluated objectively by an implanted adherence monitor. Treatment efficacy was also evaluated by home sleep monitor and a questionnaire about the symptoms. The adherence was not significantly different (CPAP vs. MAD: 274.5 ± 108.9 min/night vs. 314.8 ± 127.0 min/night, p = 0.095). FMD and sleep-time mean BP were not markedly changed from the baseline with either approach (CPAP vs. MAD: FMD, + 0.47% ± 3.1% vs. + 0.85% ± 2.6%, p = 0.64; BP, - 1.5 ± 5.7 mmHg vs. - 1.2 ± 7.5 mmHg, p = 0.48), although sleepiness, nocturia, and sleep-related parameters were similarly improved and more patients preferred MAD. As MAD and CPAP showed similar effects on cardiovascular outcome and symptomatic relief even with a comparable length of usage, we might expect MAD as an alternative treatment option for CPAP in this range of OSA group.

Since obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known as a common cause of secondary hypertension, it is necessary to consider OSA a differential diagnosis in treating patients with hypertension. Apnea during sleep causes temporary and repeated hypoxia and subsequent sympathetic nerve activation. Furthermore, dysfunction of endothelial cells due to hypoxia is considered another mechanism leading to enhanced stiffness of the elastic artery and eventually, elevation of blood pressure (BP). As a result, OSA induces a nighttime or morning surge in BP, and long-standing severe OSA also causes daytime hypertension. Therefore, treatment of OSA may be important for BP control, especially in severe OSA cases. For the treatment of OSA, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a major treatment option, though alternative devices may be useful in CPAP-intolerant cases.

BACKGROUND The respiratory instability frequently observed in advanced heart failure (HF) is likely to mirror the clinical status of worsening HF. The present multicenter study was conducted to examine whether the noble respiratory stability index (RSI), a quantitative measure of respiratory instability, reflects the recovery process from HF decompensation. Methods and Results: Thirty-six of 44 patients hospitalized for worsening HF completed all-night measurements of RSI both at deterioration and recovery phases. Based on the signs, symptoms, and laboratory data during hospitalization, the Central Adjudication Committee identified 22 convalescent patients and 14 patients with less extent of recovery in a blinded manner without any information on RSI or other respiratory variables. The all-night RSI in the convalescent patients was increased from 27.8±18.4 to 34.6±15.8 (P

Sleep quality is often impaired in patients with chronic heart failure (HF), which may worsen their quality of life and even prognosis. Leg thermal therapy (LTT), topical leg warming, has been shown to improve endothelial function, oxidative stress, and cardiac function in patients with HF. However, its short-term influence to sleep quality has not been evaluated in HF patients. Eighteen of 23 patients with stable HF received LTT (15 min of warming at 45 °C and 30 min of insulation) at bedtime for 3 consecutive nights and 5 patients served as control. Subjective sleep quality was evaluated by St. Mary’s Hospital Sleep Questionnaire, Oguri–Shirakawa–Azumi Sleep Inventory, and Epworth sleepiness scale, and also objectively evaluated by polysomnography. LTT significantly improved subjective sleep quality indicated by depth of sleep (p

The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of functional mitral regurgitation (FMR), preserved or reduced ejection fraction (EF), and ischemic or nonischemic origin with outcomes in patients discharged alive after hospitalization for acute decompensated heart failure (HF). Of the 4,842 patients enrolled in the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Syndromes (ATTEND) registry, 3,357 patients were evaluated to assess the association of FMR, preserved or reduced EF, and ischemic or nonischemic origin with the primary end point (all-cause death and readmission for HF after discharge). At the time of discharge, FMR was assessed semiquantitatively (classified as none, mild, or moderate to severe) by color Doppler analysis of the regurgitant jet area. According to multivariable analysis, in the ischemic group, either mild or moderate to severe FMR in patients with a preserved EF had a significantly higher risk of the primary end point than patients without FMR (hazard ratio [HR] 1.60; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 2.29; p = 0.010 and HR 1.98; 95% CI 1.30 to 3.01; p = 0.001, respectively). In patients with reduced EF with an ischemic origin, only moderate to severe FMR was associated with a significantly higher risk of the primary end point (HR 1.67; 95% CI 1.11 to 2.50; p = 0.014). In the nonischemic group, there was no significant association between FMR and the primary end point in patients with either a preserved or reduced EF. In conclusion, among patients with acute decompensated HF with a preserved or reduced EF, the association of FMR with adverse outcomes may differ between patients who had an ischemic or nonischemic origin of HF.

Background People with Down syndrome (DS) often have sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Unusual sleep postures, such as leaning forward and sitting, are observed in people with DS. This study aimed to clarify the prevalence of unusual sleep postures and their relationships with SDB-related symptoms (SDB-RSs), such as snoring, witnessed apnoea, nocturnal awakening and excessive daytime sleepiness. Methods A questionnaire, including demographic characteristics and the presence of unusual sleep postures, as well as SDB-RSs, was completed by 1149 parents of people with DS from Japan. Results Unusual sleep postures were recorded in 483 (42.0%) people with DS. These participants were significantly younger and had a history of low muscle tone more frequently than people without unusual sleep postures. In all ages, the leaning forward posture was more frequent than sitting. People with DS with unusual sleep postures suffered from SDB-RSs. Those who slept in the sitting posture had more frequent SDB-RSs than did those who slept with the leaning forward posture. Snoring, witnessed apnoea and nocturnal awakening were observed in 73.6, 27.2 and 58.2% of participants, respectively. Snoring increased with aging. Witnessed apnoea was more common in males and in those with hypothyroidism than in females and in those without hypothyroidism. Conclusions Our study shows that there is a close relationship between unusual sleep postures and SDB-RSs. We recommend that all people with DS with unusual sleep postures should be checked for the presence of SDB.

Cardiopulmonary polygraphy (PG) demonstrates not only parameters for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) but also hemodynamics. We previously developed a software that detects lung to fingertip circulation time (LFCT) derived from PG dataset and reported that those LFCT reflected the cardiac output. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the LFCT changes during clinical course and whether reflects the impact of in-hospital treatment on cardiac function. Consecutive patients (N = 89) who admitted to the cardiovascular division, underwent PG at the early and late phase of admission. Parameters for SDB and LFCT were compared between an acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) group (n = 51) and non-ADHF group (n = 38). ADHF group was further divided into subgroups: preserved ejection fraction (pEF) (EF > 40%) and reduced EF (rEF) (EF ≤ 40%). Using our original algorithm, we obtained LFCT values from all of the patients, though 29.4% of ADHF and 44.7% of non-ADHF had no or mild SDB. LFCT significantly shortened in the ADHF-rEF group, in contrast to ADHF-pEF group or non-ADHF group (ADHF-rEF group: 26.9 ± 7.6 to 24.2 ± 6.1 s, p = 0.01; ADHF-pEF group: 25.3 ± 7.3 to 25.3 ± 6.9 s, p = 0.98; non-ADHF group: 21.5 ± 5.5 to 21.9 ± 5.0 s, p = 0.65). The respiratory disorder index in the ADHF group improved after treatment, irrespective of EF (pEF: 26.9 ± 16.1 to 15.8 ± 11.9/h, p

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is often accompanied with the chronic heart failure (CHF). Hypoxemia due to pulmonary congestion from CHF and concurrent SDB might synergistically impair endothelial function and worsen the prognosis. However, the main factors affecting deterioration of endothelial function are unknown and whether the influence of hypoxemia differs in SDB patients with and without CHF remains unclear. Fifty-three patients (CHF group, n = 23; non-CHF group, n = 30) underwent polysomnography to evaluate their SDB and flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) measurements to assess arterial endothelial function. We examined the relationships between FMD and SDB-related parameters, including our original index of accumulated hypoxemia by SDB throughout one-night sleep: the time desaturation summation index (TDS), calculated as follows: (100% − averaged arterial oxygen saturation during sleep) × total sleep time. The mean age in the CHF and non-CHF groups was 59.0 ± 13.5 and 57.7 ± 11.4 years, respectively. Although the FMD in the 2 groups were not significantly different, well-known adverse factors for FMD such as serum lipid profiles, blood pressure levels, and conventional indices of SDB were worse in the non-CHF group. Only the TDS was not significantly different between 2 groups and associated with FMD as shown by the univariate analysis (CHF: p

Introduction: The severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is assessed by the apnea-hypopnea-index (AHI) determined from polysomnography (PSG). However, PSG requires a specialized facility with well-trained specialists and takes overnight. Therefore, simple tools, which could distinguish severe OSA, have been needed before performing PSG. Objectives: We propose the new index using cine-MRI as a screening test to differentiate severe OSA patients, who would need PSG and proper treatment. Methods: Thirty-six patients with suspected OSA (mean age 54.6 y, mean AHI 52.6 events/hour, 33 males) underwent airway cine-MRI at the fourth cervical vertebra level during 30 seconds of free breathing and PSG. The minimum airway ellipticity (AE) in 30 seconds duration was measured, and was defined as the severity of OSA. Patients were divided into severe OSA, not-severe OSA, and normal groups, according to PSG results. The comparison of AE between any two of the three groups was performed by Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal cut-off of AE for identifying severe OSA patients. Results: The minimum AE for severe OSA was significantly lower than that for not-severe OSA and normal (severe, 0.17 ± 0.16; not-severe, 0.31 ± 0.17; normal, 0.38 ± 0.19, p

Dabigatran etexilate, a direct oral anti-coagulation agent, is used in the prevention of thromboembolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). However, for reasons that are not fully understood, plasma dabigatran etexilate concentrations (PDC) vary significantly among patients.We measured trough and 90min PDC in 98 patients with NVAF. To elucidate the cause of variations in PDC, we determined correlations between PDC and various factors including renal function, co-administration of a P-glycoprotein inhibitor, and the effects of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the P-glycoprotein intestinal efflux transporter. To further determine the cause of PDC variations, we examined the relationship between PDC, activated partial prothrombin time (APTT), and D-dimer (DD) levels, which are surrogate markers for thrombotic risk.Multivariate analysis showed significant relations among creatinine, creatinine clearance, and CHA2D2-VaSc scores (p=0.04, p=0.01, and p=0.04, respectively). In addition, creatinine and creatinine clearance were significantly correlated with trough and 90min PDC (p0.01), respectively. There was a clear linear relation between PDC and APTT, but not DD levels. However, higher DD levels (0.5μg/mL) were associated with lower trough and 90min PDCs.Renal function and CHA2D2-VaSc scores affect PDC, suggesting these may be primary factors influencing the wide variation observed in PDCs under these conditions. Variations in APTT can primarily be explained by variations in PDC; patients with lower PDCs may have a higher risk of thromboembolism events.

A major complication of blood donation is vasovagal reaction (VVR) with or without syncope. VVR occurs not only in the early phase, but also in the late phase after blood donation. We previously reported the hemodynamic characteristics of blood donors susceptible to early phase VVR. In the present study, we investigated the hemodynamic characteristics of those who developed late VVR. Ninety-six healthy volunteers donating 400 ml of whole blood were studied. After asking about their physical condition or routine questions for blood donation, blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded while the donors were kept standing up for 3 min before and after blood collection. Questionnaires were distributed to all donors for reporting late VVR symptoms within 24 h. Those with younger age and lower diastolic blood pressure were more susceptible to late VVR (both p

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is common sleep disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of airway closure which usually occurs in the retropalatal region of the oropharynx. It has been known that upper airway mucosa in OSA patients is described as edematous, but not fully clarified. Objectives This study aimed to investigate and establish magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameter to estimate tissue water content at retropalatal level and its relationship with sleep parameters in OSA patients. Methods Forty-eight subjects with OSA underwent overnight polysomnography and cervical MRI with 1.5-tesla [mean (SD) age 55 (14) years and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) 45.2 (26.1) events/hour, 79.2% male]. On the axial T2-weighted images from epipharynx to oropharynx, the signal intensities of masseter muscle and peripharyngeal mucosa [T2 mucous-to-masseter intensity ratio (T2MMIR)], was used as water content estimation in the retropalatal region. Partial correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlation between T2MMIR and polysomnography parameters. Results We found that there were strong and positive correlations between the T2MMIR and AHI (r = 0.545, P

This study evaluated the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea-related symptoms and assessed the relationship with obesity or unusual sleep postures in Down syndrome patients in Japan. We obtained the demographic characteristics, sleep postures, and obstructive sleep apnea-related symptoms experienced by 90 people as reported by their caregivers. Although 71% reported snoring and 59% arousals, obstructive sleep apnea-related symptoms were not significantly different between obese and non-obese participants. The youngest age group had the fewest obstructive sleep apnea-related symptoms, especially symptoms of snoring. The odds for arousal, nocturia, and apnea tended to be higher in the unusual sleep-postures group. Unusual sleep postures were most frequent in the group 6-15 years of age. People with Down syndrome might sleep in unusual postures to avoid upper airway obstruction caused by other anatomical factors. For nurses and other health professionals working in mainstream service, it is important to screen all persons with Down syndrome for symptoms suggestive of obstructive sleep apnea, particularly those six years of age and older, and to refer them for further evaluation for sleep disorders.

People with Down syndrome (DS) are prone to develop sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), especially obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and they are reported to sleep in unusual sleep postures. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between sleep postures and SDB parameters, including the objective nocturnal oxygen desaturation in people with DS in Japan. Overnight pulse oximetry was measured in 32 people with DS (male 44%, mean age 18 ± 10 years) and a questionnaire was completed to obtain information on sleep postures and OSA-related symptoms. Subjects were divided by their dominant sleep postures into three groups: usual postures (supine and lateral), prone, and unusual postures (leaning forward and sitting). Subjects who slept mainly in unusual postures were younger (9.6 ± 5.0 years) than those who slept in prone (18.6 ± 12.4 years) and in usual postures (21.1 ± 8.9 years) (P < 0.05). Snoring was the most reported symptom (81.3%) and was the only symptom positively correlated with 4% oxygen desaturation index (ODI) (r = 0.386, P < 0.05). There was no significant association between 4% ODI and sleep postures among the three groups. DS children with prone and unusual sleep postures had significantly better 4% ODI and minimum SpO2 level compared with those of usual postures (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that prone and unusual sleep postures in DS children might be compensation to alleviate against SDB. These postures could be related to alleviation of SDB resulting from the immaturity of people with DS.

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has a big impact on autonomic nervous activity and thus induces or deteriorates various cardiovascular diseases. We here describe a typical but rarely documented case which clearly indicates a strong link between SDB and cardiovascular disease. A 68-year-old woman complaining of frequent palpitations was referred to our institute. An electrocardiogram (ECG) at a previous clinic had shown atrial fibrillation, although it had already returned to sinus rhythm on arrival at our institute. Her body mass index was 32.5kg/m 2 and she had a history of loud snoring. Simultaneous examinations of Holter ECG monitoring and ambulatory polysomnography (PSG) showed onset of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation following marked oxygen desaturation at midnight. In-hospital PSG revealed severe obstructive sleep apnea. A new device with desaturation triggered ambulatory blood pressure monitoring system performed 1 week later again showed a midnight onset of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation coincided with surge of blood pressure with marked desaturation. Her recurrence of palpitations had obviously decreased by continuous positive airway pressure therapy thereafter. Learning objective: A clinician should suspect sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) behind cardiac arrhythmia, especially if it is nocturnal. Nocturnal hypertension especially in obese patients may indicate SDB. Successful therapy for SDB by such as continuous positive airway pressure therapy attenuates sympatho-excitation and would improve the result of treatment of the arrhythmia.>

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) has been recognized as one of the important causes or factors of worsening for various cerebro- and cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, a recent large randomized study and meta-analysis about the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) indicated no or only minor effects to improve the outcome of SDB patients. Accumulating evidence has indicated that the key factor of the link between SDB and cardiovascular diseases might be hypoxia caused during repetitive long apneic episodes. Hypertension and atrial fibrillation (AF) are two important cardiovascular diseases that relate to SDB and the therapeutic consequences by CPAP treatment have been studied. As for the mechanism that elevates blood pressure during night, stimulation of chemoreceptors by hypoxia and the resultant increase in sympathetic nervous activity is the first step and repetitive hypoxic stimulation changes the characteristics of chemoreceptors and baroreceptors resulting in daytime hypertension. Pathological changes in the atrial muscle in SDB patients might be a result of repetitive hypoxia and atrial expansion. As for triggering AF, several animal studies revealed that the changes in autonomic nervous system caused by hypoxia and negative intra-thoracic pressure might be crucial. However, a recent observational study could not show the relation between SDB and AF. The difference between the previous studies and this negative study seems to exist in the difference of the severity of SDB or the degree of hypoxia. Such a difference might be also one of the reasons why a recent randomized trial to prove the effect of CPAP in cardio- or cerebrovascular patients failed to improve the patient prognosis. Hence, in this review, the relationship between hypoxia and onset or continuation of hypertension and AF will be reconsidered to understand the fundamental and robust relationship between SDB and these cardiovascular diseases.

Adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) therapy is a recently developed non-pharmacological therapy that has been reported to improve cardiac function and survival in patients with severe congestive heart failure (CHF). However, a recent large randomized study suggested that ASV does not improve survival in patients with reduced ejection fraction. It remains unclear whether ASV treatment can reduce the hospitalization rate of CHF patients. We thus examined the frequency of hospital admission before and after initiation of ASV therapy in patients with CHF.Hospitalization frequencies during the 12months before and 12months after initiation of ASV therapy (24 consecutive months) were retrospectively compared in 44 consecutive patients with severe CHF. The admission frequency decreased from 1.9±1.4 admissions in the 12months before ASV to 1.1±1.6 admissions in the 12months after ASV initiation (P0.001). The decrease tended to be greater in those patients with more frequent hospitalizations before ASV initiation.ASV therapy reduces hospital admissions in patients with severe CHF who are receiving maximum medical treatment.

Background falls by inpatients often result in serious injuries and deterioration in a patient's physical abilities and quality of life, especially among older individuals. Although various factors have been found to be associated with falls, the combined effects of behavioural and ambient factors are not fully evaluated. Objective we investigated the influence of both behavioural and ambient factors on inpatient falls, focusing on seasonal and diurnal variations. Design retrospective study. Methods we surveyed the incident reports related to falls from April 2010 to March 2014 and examined the relationship between the incidents and seasonal and diurnal variations in behavioural and ambient factors, including the sunrise time, the night-time length and temperature. Results we identified 464 fallers from 3,037 incident reports. The average fall-rate of the study population was 1.4 ± 0.5/1,000 occupied bed-days. The seasonal and diurnal variations in falls were compared. The number of falls around dawn in October-February was higher than that in April-September. Toileting was the behaviour most frequently related to the falls (56.9%, n = 264), and 57.1% of the falls occurred at night. A multivariate analysis showed that the night-time length was significantly related to an increase in night-time falls (P = 0.047). Conclusion these results suggested that the inpatient falls increased in the early morning from November to March and tended to be related to toileting activities. Considering these results, additional attention and support during the higher risk hours and seasons, especially in relation to toileting activities, might help to reduce the incidence of falls. Clinical trial name, url and registration number N/A (Because of retrospective nature).

OBJECTIVE We assessed the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and characteristics among patients who visited a urology clinic complaining of nocturia (URO group) and those who visited a sleep apnea (SA) clinic complaining of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) (SA group). Additionally, we evaluated the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in the URO group patients with nocturia and SDB resistant to conventional therapy for nocturia. METHODS Questionnaires were used to assess EDS, nocturia and lower urinary tract symptoms in 34 URO group patients and 49 age-matched SA group patients. We also compared these factors in the male patients in both groups and the male and female patients in the SA group. Significant SDB was diagnosed as a 3% oxygen desaturation index (3%ODI) on pulse oximeter of >5/h. The treatment response was analyzed in six URO group patients treated with CPAP after not responding to the conventional medical treatment. RESULTS SDB was found in 91.8% of the SA group patients and 70.6% of the URO group patients. The level of EDS and lower urinary tract symptoms were similar in both groups. The SA group showed higher 3%ODI values, while the frequency of urination during bedtime was higher in the URO group. The frequency of nocturnal urination was reduced after CPAP in the subjects resistant to conventional therapy. CONCLUSION SDB is as prevalent in patients who visit a urology clinic complaining of nocturia as in those who visit a sleep apnea clinic. Patients who complains of nocturia must be assessed for SDB before starting therapy for nocturia.

The Ambulatory Blood Pressure Control and Home Blood Pressure (Morning and Evening) Lowering By N-Channel Blocker Cilnidipine (ACHIEVE-ONE) trial is a large-scale clinical study on blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate (PR) in the real world with use of cilnidipine, a unique L/N-type Ca channel blocker, possessing a suppressive action on increased sympathetic activity in patients with essential hypertension. The effects of cilnidipine on morning hypertension were examined. The authors examined 2319 patients treated with cilnidipine for 12 weeks. Clinic systolic BP (SBP) decreased by 19.6 mm Hg from 155.0 mm Hg, whereas morning SBP decreased by 17.0 mm Hg from 152.9 mm Hg after 12-week cilnidipine treatment. Cilnidipine reduced both morning SBP and PR more markedly in patients with higher baseline morning SBP (-3.2 mm Hg and -1.3 beats per minute in the first quartile of morning SBP, -30.9 mm Hg and -3.2 beats per minute in the fourth quartile), and also reduced both morning PR and SBP more markedly in patients with higher baseline morning PR (0.6 beats per minute and -15.6 mm Hg in

Background Recent studies have reported the clinical usefulness of positive airway pressure ventilation therapy with various kinds of pressure support compared with simple continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for heart failure patients. However, the mechanism of the favorable effect of CPAP with pressure support can not be explained simply from the mechanical aspect and remains to be elucidated. Methods and Results In 18 stable chronic heart failure patients, we performed stepwise CPAP (4, 8, 12 cm H 2 O) while the cardiac output and intracardiac pressures were continuously monitored, and we compared the effects of 4 cm H 2 O CPAP with those of 4 cm H 2 O CPAP plus 5 cm H 2 O pressure support. Stepwise CPAP decreased cardiac index significantly in patients with pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) −1 m −2 ( P = .001) compared with CPAP alone, regardless of basal filling condition or cardiac index. Conclusions Our results suggest that CPAP plus pressure support is more effective than simple CPAP in heart failure patients and that the enhancement might be induced by neural changes and not simply by alteration of the preload level.