CleveMed Blogs

This week the CleveMed Sleep Disorders Division traveled to Orlando, FL to attend the American Cardiologist Convention. If you wondered what brings a sleep division to a cardiology conference, this article presents educational tools just for you. For an interactive presentation to learn about sleep apnea and the cardiovascular system go to: www.clevemed.com/cardiology. Request a free information package at SaveAHeart@CleveMed.com

Screenshot of CleveMed's educational interactive presentation about Sleep Apnea and Cardiology. Save a heart, Identify Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea is a serious chronic disorder affecting more than 15 million Americans. Patients with sleep apnea stop breathing numerous times during the night, which fragments their sleep and stresses the cardiopulmonary system during what is supposed to be a restful and regenerative period. The result is worsening of many heart and lung diseases that often coexist with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea has many forms, like Obstructive (OSA), Central (CSA), and Complex (CompSA). OSA is the only form with an effective treatment - forcing air into the patient’s upper airways via a mask to keep the pharynx open (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure – CPAP). Central or Complex apnea events often coexist with OSA. CSA and CompSA, are strongly linked to serious heart and lung diseases.

Here are just a few interesting numbers:

• 71% of all patients diagnosed with cardiovascular disease have sleep apnea³
• OSA patients have diminished heart rate variability and increased BP variability¹
• Treatment of coexisting OSA by CPAP can eliminate recurrent hypoxia and reduce nocturnal BP and heart rate¹
• OSA treated by CPAP resulted in a 58% reduction in the frequency of ventricular premature complexes during sleep¹

CleveMed’s educational interactive presentation at www.clevemed.com/cardiology:

• Find more stats & facts from documented studies on sleep apnea and the cardiovascular system
• Engage in the events of a case study and meet the physician who treated the case
• View a video on sleep disorders diagnostic devices
• Request a free information package on sleep apnea and the cardiovascular system by emailing SaveAHeart@CleveMed.com

1. V. K. Somers, D. P. White, R. Amin, W. T. Abraham, F. Costa, A. Culebras, S. Daniels, J. S. Floras, C. E. Hunt, L. J. Olson, et al.Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease: An American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research Professional Education Committee, Council on Clinical Cardiology, Stroke Council, and Council on Cardiovascular Nursing In Collaboration With the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (National Institutes of Health) Circulation, September 2, 2008; 118(10): 1080 - 1111. 2. Bradley TD, Floras JS. Sleep apnea and heart failure. Part I: obstructive sleep apnea. Circulation (2003) 107:1671–1678. 3. Floras JS, “Sleep Apnea in Heart Failure: Implications of Sympathetic Nervous System Activation for Disease Progression and Treatment.” Current Heart Fail Reports 2005;2(4) :212-217.

This post also draws on the experience of several experts at CleveMed.

Tags: cardiology, cardiovascular disease, case study, heart, sleep apnea

This entry was posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2009 at 11:37 am and is filed under Sleep Disorders. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.