title: [Occurrence and clinical characteristics of sleep apnea syndrome in heart failure patients with atrial fibrillation].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the occurrence and clinical characteristics of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) in heart failure (HF) patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
  
  
  METHODS
  From HF patients hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University during June 2012 and June 2014, subjects were recruited based on electrocardiography examination, including 110 patients with AF (coexisting AF group) and 105 parallel control patients without AF but with matched age, gender and body mass index (simple HF group). Comparison was made about the occurrence and characteristics of SAS between two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistical difference in causes of HF, complications, New York Heart Association class and basic medication between two groups. Compared with the patients in simple HF group, the patients in coexisting AF group had a significantly higher Epworth sleepiness scale score, larger cardiothoracic ratio (10.1±5.8 vs 8.2±5.5, 0.63±0.08 vs 0.57±0.07; both P<0.05), and shorter 6-minute walk distance [(305±70) vs (335±69) m, P<0.05]. There was no difference in left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and left ventricular end-systolic dimension between two groups. However, left atrial diameter was remarkably larger in coexisting AF group than that in simple HF group (P<0.05). The prevalence of SAS was higher in coexisting AF group than that in simple HF group (36.4% vs 20.0%, P<0.05). Compared with simple HF group, the coexisting AF group had a higher apnea/hypopnea index [4(1, 16) vs 3(1, 7) times/h, P<0.05]. No significant differences were detected between two groups among the rapid of eye movement sleep stage/total sleep time, arousal index, mean and lowest pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) and oxygen desaturation index.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HF patients with AF have a higher frequency of SAS, more severe daytime sleepiness and poorer physical activity than matched simple HF patients without AF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, the First Affiliate Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
authors.forename: Shicheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Xianji
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Xilong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, the Public Health School of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China, Email: rongbinyu@njmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Rongbin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006325:Heart Atria; D006333:Heart Failure; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes; D012894:Sleep Stages; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left