Abstract

ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND:
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition of sleep related pharyngeal collapse, in which recurrent episodes of upper airway occlusion occur during sleep causing diminution (hypopnea) or cessation of airflow (apnea) in the pharynx provoking arousals and sleep fragmentation, resulting in daytime sleepiness.
Oximetry alone is very valuable tool in the diagnosis and management of OSA, it can identify most cases allowing referral for continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment.
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the overnight oximetry monitoring as a swift and accessible
PATIENTS AND METHOD:
Cross sectional study of 20 patients, 12 males and 8 females with high probability of OSA, attended to respiratory clinic in Baghdad teaching hospital suffering from excessive daytime sleepiness, they were clinically evaluated plus using overnight oximetry as an objective testing method.
RESULTS:
The study sample was 20 patients, 12 males (60%), 8 females (40%), mean age 48 years, mean BMI 45.6 Kg/m2, female mean BMI 53.1 Kg/m2, male mean BMI 37 Kg/m2, and mean basal Po2 saturation 89.6 %.
Desaturation index (DI) show significant correlation with AHI, BMI, and gender, while no significant correlation with age. AHI show significant correlation with baseline SPO 2 and gender, and no correlation with BMI and age.
CONCLUSION:
Desaturation index assessed by nocturnal pulse oximetry maintain its utility as a screening method in the recognition of obstructive sleep apnea in obese patients with high clinical pretest suspicion. DI when combined with appropriate clinical evaluation could be used as an initial diagnostic test for OSA.
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