Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with prothrombotic effects that could lead to venous thromboembolic diseases.
Objective: The objective of this study is to clarify the prevalence of SDB among survivors of pulmonary embolism (PE).
Methods: One hundred six consecutive PE patients were prospectively evaluated by portable monitoring (PM). Nocturnal polysomnography was performed in all subjects who were diagnosed by PM to have an apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) > 15/h or evidence of increased daytime sleepiness.
Results: The overall SDB prevalence in the study population was 58.5 %. Mild obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) was diagnosed in 35.8 % of patients. Of the subjects, 12.3 % suffered from moderate OSA. In 10.4 % of study participants, OSA was found to be severe. High-risk PE was significantly more frequent among subjects with an AHI > 15/h (p = 0.005).
Conclusion: OSA is a common comorbidity of PE and possibly represents an additional risk factor for hemodynamic instability in PE patients.
Keywords: Obstructive sleep apnoea; Pulmonary embolism; Risk stratification; Sleep-disordered breathing; Venous thromboembolic disease.