06 Dec Sleep disordered breathing as predictor of readmission and mortality
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Takatoshi Kasai, MD, PhD
Department of Cardiology and Cardio-Respiratory Sleep Medicine,
Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Kasai: Sleep disordered breathing, determined using predischarge nocturnal pulse oximetry, is prevalent and is an independent predictor of the combined end point of readmission and mortality in hospitalized patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction after acute decompensated heart failure.
MedicalResearch.com: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Kasai: They should know that before hospital discharge just a non-invasive assessment using quite simple device can be a predictor of patients’ post-discharge prognosis.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Kasai: Interventions to alleviate intermittent hypoxia will be particularly important. So, in a future research, the effectiveness of positive airway pressure therapy including continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) should be assessed and compared between CPAP and ASV.
Citation:
The American Journal of Cardiology Available online 23 November 2013 (10.1016/j.amjcard.2013.10.048)
Last Updated on December 6, 2013 by Marie Benz MD FAAD