Objective: To understand the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in elderly patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and explore the relations between SDB and CAD.
Methods: Sixty-two elderly patients with and 18 without CAD identified by coronary angiography underwent examinations by polysomnography (PSG). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured by 99Tc equilibrium radionuclide angiography.
Results: In the 62 elderly patients with CAD, 53.2% had SDB, a rate significantly higher that (22.2%) in the 18 non-CAD patients. The CAD patients with SDB had higher respiratory disturbance index (RDI) and body mass index (BMI) and lower arterial saturation of oxygen (SaO2) during sleep, with longer duration of low SPO2 (less that 90%). The incidence of hypertension was higher in CAD patients with SDB than in those without SDB. No significant correlation was found between the severity of coronary artery disease and RDI (r=-0.16, P>0.05).
Conclusion: The elderly patients with CAD have higher incidence of SDB, and appropriate interventions should be administered in those with severe SDB.