Module 3 - Central Breathing Disorders of Sleep Flashcards
What is Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)?
CSA is a condition characterized by periodic breathing during sleep, influenced by complex and multifactorial mechanisms, particularly in individuals with heart failure (HF).
CSA is characterized by periods of apnea or hypopnea during sleep due to a lack of respiratory effort, distinguishing it from obstructive sleep apnea where airflow is blocked despite effort.
What is Loop Gain?
Loop gain is an engineering term that describes the tendency of a negative feedback loop to become unstable in response to a ventilatory disturbance. A high loop gain indicates a system’s propensity to fluctuate between underventilation and overventilation.
What are the components of Loop Gain in heart failure?
The components include increased arterial circulation time (mixing gain), enhanced chemoreceptor gain, and enhanced plant gain (e.g., decreased functional residual capacity).
How does increased arterial circulation time affect CSA in HF?
It delays the transfer of information regarding changes in Po2 and Pco2, potentially destabilizing the negative feedback system controlling breathing, making periodic breathing more likely.
How does the gain of chemoreceptors influence CSA?
Individuals with increased sensitivity to CO2 or O2 elicit large ventilatory responses to slight increases in Pco2 or decreases in Po2, leading to intense hyperventilation and subsequent central apnea.
What role does decreased functional residual capacity play in CSA?
It results in underdamping, where small changes in ventilation cause significant fluctuations in Po2 and Pco2 levels, destabilizing breathing patterns and increasing the likelihood of periodic breathing.
How does sleep affect Loop Gain and the development of CSA?
Sleep, especially in the supine position, leads to reductions in functional residual capacity, metabolic rate, and cardiac output, augmenting the likelihood of developing periodic breathing and CSA beyond wakefulness levels.
What is the significance of the apneic threshold in CSA?
The apneic threshold is the level of Pco2 below which rhythmic breathing ceases. A small Pco2 reserve, or a close proximity of prevailing Pco2 to the apneic threshold, increases the likelihood of CSA during sleep.
How does chemosensitivity below eupnea contribute to CSA in HF?
Increased chemosensitivity below eupnea means the prevailing Pco2 and the apneic threshold Pco2 are close together, which increases the likelihood of developing central apnea during sleep.
What predictive value does a low steady-state arterial Pco2 have for CSA?
A low steady-state arterial Pco2 (<35 mm Hg) has about an 80% predictive value for the occurrence of CSA in patients with HF, often due to increased pulmonary wedge pressure sensitizing chemoreceptors
What are the classifications of CSA?
CSA classifications include Cheyne-Stokes breathing, Primary CSA, High-altitude periodic breathing, CSA due to a medical condition without CSB, CSA due to medication or substance, and Treatment emergent CSA.
How does mechanical dysfunction contribute to CSA?
Mechanical dysfunction in CSA involves the collapsibility of the upper airway, impacting ventilatory stability due to imbalanced forces and muscle activity that maintain airway patency.
What neural mechanisms affect CSA?
Respiratory neurons, both inspiratory and expiratory, and the neural pathways they form, control ventilation and contribute to the development of CSA by affecting airway patency and respiratory rhythm.
How is ventilation controlled in CSA?
Ventilation in CSA is controlled through a complex feedback mechanism known as “loop gain,” which involves chemoresponsiveness and the effectiveness of CO2 excretion, contributing to ventilatory stability.
What factors influence the epidemiology of CSA?
The prevalence of CSA varies, influenced by factors such as age, gender, underlying medical conditions, and treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
What genetic aspects are associated with CSA?
Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS) is linked to mutations in the PHOX2B gene, illustrating the genetic basis of some forms of CSA.
What is the impact of CSA on morbidity and mortality?
CSA, especially CSA-CSB, can affect cardiac hemodynamics, increase hospital readmission rates, and is associated with conditions like cerebrovascular accidents and atrial fibrillation, impacting mortality.
How is CSA treated and what is its prognosis?
reatment varies by CSA subtype and may include CPAP, adaptive servo-ventilation, and addressing underlying conditions. The prognosis depends on the severity of the underlying condition and treatment efficacy.
What is the most important pathophysiologic feature of the non-hypercapnic central sleep apnea syndromes?
Reduced CO2 reserve in REM sleep
Which sleep stage are central apneas most common?
N1 and N2
What type of loop gain problem does obesity hypoventilation syndrome have?
Increased plant gain
Decreased controller gain
What type of loop gain problem does neuromuscular weakness have?
Increased plant gain
What type of loop gain problem does congenital central hypoventilation syndrome have?
Decreased plant gain
What type of loop gain problem does hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have?
Decreased plant gain
What type of loop gain problems does CSB have?
Increased controller gain
Increased mixing gain
What type of loop gain problem does high-altitude periodic breathing have?
Increased controller gain
What type of loop gain problem does treatment emergent central apnea have?
Increased controller gain
What type of loop gain problem does idiopathic pulmonary hypertension have?
Increased mixing gain
What is the awake cut-off differences for people with Hypoventilation or Hyperventilation?
Hypo: above 45
Hyper: below 40
For which diseases is hyperventilation (low CO2) a common indicator?
Stroker and heart failure
For which diseases is hypoventilation (high CO2) a common indicator?
Lung disease or muscle weakness, particularly relevant in REM sleep
What part of the brain detects changes in CO2 levels? (Central chemoreceptors)
Proton receptors in the retrotrapezoid nucleus
CO2 diffuses into the brainstem and converts to BCO3- and H+. There are receptors on the dendrites that detect protons.
Surrounded by astrocytes which release ATP
What types of cells surround the retrotrapezoid nucleus (where central chemoreceptors are found)?
Astrocytes, they release ATP
How is ATP related to central chemoreceptors?
Astrocytes surround the retrotrapezoid nucleus (central chemoreceptor location) so that ATP can be provided to the nucleus.
How is ATP and central apneas related?
Unsure, but changes to ATP can cause central apneas
What type of information are central and peripheral chemoreceptors sensitive to?
Central: CO2
Peripheral: O2 (mainly), CO2, pH, temperature and role in detecting glucose
What is the analogy for peripheral chemoreceptors and taste buds?
They are like taste buds, which taste the blood before it goes to the brain. Ensures quality.
Do peripheral chemoreceptors work all the time or in the background?
On always, but in the background. Only turn on more when hypoxic response occurs. Happens very suddenly.
What is the reflex response by peripheral chemoreceptors to oxygen?
Non-linear response between O2 levels and ventilation (pa not saturation).
O2 has to be very low (i.e. <70) to kick in.
What is the history of discovery of periodic breathing (central sleep) disorders?
John Hunter found people dying of heart failure would increase then decrease their breathing.
Cheyne-Stokes similarly discovered this in awake and asleep people.
In extreme cases, they would stop breathing all together.
What is the classical case of Central Sleep Apnea breathing?
Each increase and decrease (waxing/waning) cycle of breathing are identical and have a 20sec central apnea between them.
What is the cause of central sleep apneas?
Classic negative feedback control system due to:
- increased gain response (big reflex response) and/or
- slow time to respond to changes (delay getting back to controller)
When there is an upper airway obstruction, the increased effort that is noted in the trachea is driven by which chemoreceptor?
Carotid body (peripheral) because its sensitivity increases when O2 drops. Its sensitivity also increases (bigger response) when hypercapnic.
How does the hypoxic response differ between people with OSA + hypercapnia and normocapnia?
Hypercapnic: no hypoxic response
Normocapnic: elevated response, due to repetitive hypoxia and increased gain of response
How does the carotid body’s response change when someone is hypercapnic (temporarily not always)?
Increased sensitivity
How does the body respond to ongoing increased CO2 levels?
You start to retain BCO3- to bring pH back to normal. This is how people with OSA get hypercapnic.
What happens when someone changes from obstructive to central apnea during sleep?
OSA are shorter events, so when they move to CSA the apneas are longer but CO2 falls.
Happens post-stroke