title: Hemoglobin desaturation during sleep and daytime in patients with cystic fibrosis and severe airway obstruction.
abstract: Transcutaneous hemoglobin saturation by pulse oximetry was evaluated during sleep and for 2-3 h during the day in 31 patients with cystic fibrosis (median age 15.2 years; range 7.6-33.6 years) and severe airway obstruction. Pulse oximetry readings were analyzed as a cumulative percentage of time in which oxygen saturation was < 90% during both sleep and daytime. Each patient was also examined using clinical and radiological scores, spirometry and arterial blood-gas analysis. The agreement between arterial and transcutaneous saturation was evaluated in 29 patients. The difference between transcutaneous and arterial saturation was 2.4 +/- 2.0% and it increased as arterial saturation decreased. Clinical and radiological scores and spirometry parameters showed a poor correlation with both overnight and daytime desaturation. An arterial saturation < 94% may indicate a risk of consistent desaturation. This occurred for more than 50% of the time in 11 of 20 patients during sleep and in 5 of 20 patients during daytime hours.
authors.affiliation: Cystic Fibrosis Center, Ospedale Civile Maggiore, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Braggion
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pradal
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mastella
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000097:blood*; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D002648:Child; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010092:Oximetry; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D010100:Oxygen