Sleep Apnoea and Neuromuscular Respiratory Failure Flashcards
What is obstructive sleep apnoea?
Recurrent episodes of upper airway obstruction leading to apnoea (cessation of breathing) during sleep.
What are the common presentations of sleep apnoea?
Heavy snoring
Unrefreshing sleep
Daytime somnolence (sleepiness)
Poor daytime concentration
Where is the obstruction in sleep apnoea?
Between the base of the tongue/soft pallet and posterior pharyngeal wall
What are the causes of sleep apnoea?
Muscle relaxation
Narrow pharynx
Obesity
What is the pathophysiology of sleep apnoea?
Repeated closure of upper airways
What does recurrent closure of the airways lead to?
Oxygen desaturation
Snoring
Apnoea’s and hypopnea’s
What does apnoea’s and hypopnea’s lead to?
Frequent microarousals
What does frequent microarousals lead to?
Daytime hypersomnolence
Poor concentration
What is apnoea and hypopnoea?
Apnoea = obstructed for 10s or more
Hypopnoea = nearly obstructed for 10s or more
What is the importance of sleep apnoea?
Impaired QofL
Marital disharmony
Increased risk of RTA
Increased risk of stroke
Associated with hypertension
Probably increased risk of heart disease
What % of men/women are affected by sleep apnoea?
Men = 2%
Women = 1%
How do you diagnose sleep apnoea?
Clinical examination and history
Epworth questionnaire
Overnight sleep study
What are the 3 types of overnight sleep studies?
Pulse oximetry - basic
Limited sleep studies
Full polysomnography - most sophisticated
What is the Epworth questionnaire?
A questionnaire determining the level of sleepiness a patient experiences
Score of 11 or more = abnormal
What does overnight oximetry measure?
Records O2 sats and pulse rate while asleep
What is an indication of sleep apnoea on an overnight oximetry?
Repetitive desaturations
Pulse rate rises intermittently coinciding with O2 saturation
What does polysomnography measure?
Oronasal airflow
Thoracoabdominal movement
Body position
Oximetry
EEG (brain wave recordings)
Audio-visual recording
EOG (eye muscle movements)
EMG (peripheral muscle movements)
ECG (heart tracing)
How is severity of sleep apnoea measured?
Via desaturation index/apnoea hypopnoea index
0-5 = normal
5-15 = mild
15-30 = moderate
>30 = severe
What are the treatment options for sleep apnoea?
Identify exacerbating factors
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
Mandibular repositioning splint
What factors can exacerbate sleep apnoea?
Weight (90% of patients with SA are overweight)
Alcohol
Endocrine disorders
What does CPAP do?
Creates positive pressure within the throat and stops the tissue from being sucked together during inspiration.
How does mandibular repositioning splint work and when is it used?
Advances lower jaw forwards bringing base of tongue forwards and creating more space at the back of the throat.
Used if patient cannot tolerate CPAP.