[Arrhythmia and sleep apnea syndrome]

Abstract

Context: Arrhythmia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe and in the United States. The aim of this review article was to assess the results of the prospective studies that evaluated the risk of arrhythmia in patients with sleep apnea syndrome and discuss the management of this arrhythmia.

Evidence acquisition: Reports published with the following search terms were searched: sleep apnea syndrome, atrial flutter, supraventricular arrhythmia, ventricular arrhythmia, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, torsade de pointe, atrial fibrillation and sudden death. The investigation was restricted to reports published in English and French.

Evidence synthesis: The outcome of this analysis suggests that patients with untreated overt sleep apnea syndrome are at increased risk of arrhythmia.

Conclusions: The timely recognition and effective treatment of sleep apnea syndrome in patients with arrhythmia are mandatory because the prognosis of arrhythmia may be improved with the appropriate treatment of sleep apnea syndrome.

Keywords: Atrial arrhythmia; Sleep apnea syndrome; Syndrome d’apnée du sommeil; Trouble du rythme atrial; Trouble du rythme ventriculaire; Ventricular arrhythmia.