Right ventricular strain as a predictor of surgical success in obstructive sleep apnea: Association with serum...

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a disease characterized by recurrent obstruction of the upper airways during sleep, posing an independent risk for cardiovascular diseases. Serum chemerin is an adipokine associated with both OSAS and cardiovascular diseases.

Our aim is to investigate the effect of OSAS surgery on cardiac functions and serum chemerin levels in patients.

This prospective study included 43 surgical OSAS patients. Echocardiographic parameters and serum chemerin levels were assessed before and 6 months after surgery. Right and left ventricular strain were measured by speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE). Surgical response was defined as a ≥ 50 % reduction in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI).

Six months after surgery, RV FWS and LV GLS values became significantly more negative, indicating improved myocardial function (RV FWS: -20.98 ± 2.26 % to -23.71 ± 2.53 %, p < 0.001; LV GLS: -21.28 ± 1.49 % to -22.74 ± 1.63 %, p < 0.001). Serum chemerin levels significantly decreased from 1320 (683-2530) pg/mL to 328 (66-6234) pg/mL (p = 0.024). AHI also decreased markedly (26.9 ± 16.4 to 16.1 ± 14.0, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, change in RV FWS independently predicted surgical success (OR 2.449, 95 % CI 1.361-4.408, p = 0.003).

Our study revealed a decrease in serum chemerin levels and improvement in LV and RV functions in patients undergoing surgery for OSAS. The change in the RV FWS parameter in OSAS patients indicates the response to surgical treatment.