Investigation of the Usefulness of Waveform Classification Analysis of Oxygen Saturation for Sleep Apnea Syndrome

The waveform patterns of nocturnal oxygen saturation (SpO₂) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be classified into three types on the basis of morphological characteristics: intermittent desaturation, sustained desaturation, and periodic desaturation. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical significance of these waveform patterns in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by using polysomnography data.

A total of 88 patients who underwent polysomnography were analyzed and classified into two groups: those with an intermittent desaturation pattern (n=76) and those without this pattern (n=12). We retrospectively analyzed polysomnography data from patients with suspected sleep apnea syndrome and evaluated the relationships between the waveform patterns of nocturnal SpO₂ and clinical characteristics.

The mean apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of the 88 patients was 39.9 (range=4.4-114.8) events/h, and 87 patients were diagnosed with sleep apnea syndrome. The mean AHI for the group with intermittent pattern was 43.6 (interquartile range=7.0-114.8) events/h, which was significantly greater than the mean AHI for the group with nonintermittent pattern, which was 30.4 (interquartile range=4.4-78.4) events/h. In addition, patients with the intermittent pattern were more likely to have moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea (p=0.031).

Analysis of the waveform patterns of nocturnal SpO₂ enhanced the identification of patients eligible for continuous positive airway pressure therapy, suggesting a potentially efficient approach for treatment selection.