Treatment of continuous positive airway pressure for patients with obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome and coronary atherosclerotic heart disease

AIM: To investigate the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAHD). METHODS: Twenty-six patients with moderate to severe OSAHS and CAHD were enrolled. Sleep respiratory monitoring and dynamic electrocardiogram (ECG) were performed in all patients. Patient group was given CPAP treatment and conventional treatment for 4 months. Sleep respiratory monitoring and dynamic ECG were performed, respectively, at the end of 2 and 4 months, and parameters of the sleep respiratory monitoring, PWV level, total time of myocardial ischemia and total number of myocardial ischemia attacks at 24 h before and after treatment were compared. RESULTS: PWV level, total time of myocardial ischemia and total number of myocardial ischemia attacks in 24 h decreased after 2 or 4 months treatment. The parameters at the end of 4 months treatment were lower than those at the end of 2 months. CONCLUSIONS: CPAP treatment can improve hypoxemia and myocardial ischemia and decrease PWV level and can be applied together with pharmacotherapy to patients with moderate to severe OSAHS and CAHD.