Obstructive sleep apnea diagnosed by peripheral arterial tonometry in patients with cardiovascular disease

Abstract Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea is an independent cardiovascular risk factor which can be diagnosed by means of a portable device (WatchPAT® ) capable to perform automatic analysis of the peripheral artery tonometry, its amplitude and variability, with a high grade of correlation to polysomnography. Objective To describe the use of WatchPAT® for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea in patients with cardiovascular disease. Methods A case series study of patients evaluated in cardiovascular consultation who underwent to home sleep monitoring using the WatchPAT® 200U system between February 1, 2017 to February 1, 2018, due to suspected obstructive sleep apnea. Results 37 patients were included, with an average age of 57.6 years, most of whom were male. Cardiovascular diseases were: uncontrolled or predominantly nocturnal hypertension (37.8%), recurrent palpitations and/or chronic fatigue (21.6%); sleep disturbances were informed only in 27% of the patients. Obstructive sleep apnea was identified in 97.3% of the patients (29.7% moderate and 56.8% severe), 37.8% had high blood pressure, 49.5% had established heart disease, and 18.9% were diabetic. Only, fifty percent of the patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea and 45% with moderate obstructive sleep apnea snored. Conclusion Cardiovascular disease specialists should participate more actively in the search and diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea; it is highly prevalent in patients with nocturnal or resistant high blood pressure, heart rhythm disorders or myocardial structural damage. Obstructive sleep apnea can be diagnosed using portable devices such as WatchPAT®.