title: Sleep-disordered breathing in recipients of implantable defibrillators.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence and clinical significance of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overnight sleep studies were performed in 129 ICD recipients who had no history of sleep apnea. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 29 +/- 11%. Mild, moderate, and severe sleep apnea was diagnosed in the presence of an apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) of 5-15/h, 15.1-30/h, and >30/h, respectively. No sleep apnea was present in 49 patients (38%), 57 (44%) had central sleep apnea (CSA), and 23 patients (18%) had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Mild, moderate, and severe sleep apnea were present in 25%, 31%, and 44% of patients with CSA, compared with 52%, 22%, and 26% of patients with OSA (P < 0.05). LVEF was similar in patients with versus without OSA or CSA. Patients with CSA were significantly older and had a higher prevalence of ischemic cardiomyopathy than patients without sleep apnea.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Previously undiagnosed CSA is common in ICD recipients. Severely disordered breathing during sleep was more prevalent among patients with CSA than patients with OSA. This prospective, observational study will examine the long-term clinical significance of sleep-disordered breathing in ICD recipients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University of Marburg and Giessen, Marburg, Germany. grimmw@med.uni-marburg.de
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sharkova
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heitmann
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jerrentrup
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Koehler
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maisch
mesh_terms: D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*