Wide Screening of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in a Cardiology Clinic

Dr. Zaremski and Dr. Wharton

Department of Cardiology, Montefiore Medical Center
Cardiovascular Investigations July 2017

Patients at an outpatient cardiology clinic without known OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) were screened using a questionnaire for signs and symptoms of OSA. Patients with high scores were referred for testing.
The average age was 59.5±11.7 years. BMI was similar among all OSA groups.
84% of patients referred tested positive for OSA. Severity of OSA was correlated with more comorbidities.
There was no relationship between severity of OSA (AHI) and BMI after adjusting for other comorbidities.
Authors recommended to employ wide screening in at-risk populations, specifically cardiology patients.

Key takeaways

Prevalence of OSA among heart patients is very high
Sleep Apnea severity is correlated with CAD severity and comorbidities
BMI is not a good indicator of OSA. Authors recommended to employ wide obstructive sleep apnea screening in at-risk populations, specifically cardiology patients

Zaremski L, Wharton R. Cardiovascular Investigations, 2017 , 1: 1