Impact of obstructive sleep apnea on left ventricular diastolic function

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Sleep Medicine
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is linked to cardiovascular complications.
• Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction is an early sign of cardiac impairment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of OSA severity on LV functional changes.
• To evaluate tissue Doppler imaging (TDI)-derived indexes for assessing diastolic dysfunction in OSA patients.

Main Methods:

• 62 patients were categorized into mild-to-moderate OSA, severe OSA, and control groups based on polysomnography.
• Conventional and TDI echocardiography were performed on all participants.
• Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was correlated with echocardiographic parameters.

Main Results:

• Severe OSA patients showed significantly decreased early diastolic velocity (Ea).
• AHI correlated significantly with TDI-derived LV diastolic function indexes (Ea and Ea/late diastolic velocity).
• Ea remained a significant predictor of LV diastolic dysfunction, independent of other risk factors.

Conclusions:

• Severe OSA is associated with impaired LV diastolic function, specifically indicated by reduced Ea.
• TDI-derived Ea is a sensitive index for detecting LV diastolic dysfunction related to OSA severity.
• Ea is a valuable tool for assessing OSA-related cardiac changes.