Cardiovascular event risk differs in high, low risk OSA with CPAP

Key takeaways:

An OSA-related heart rate response greater than 9.4 bpm or hypoxic burden greater than 87.1% minutes/hour signaled high-risk OSA.

The risk for adverse cardiovascular events with CPAP was lower in high-risk OSA.

Perspective from Nitun Verma, MD, MBA

Among patients with obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease, a certain OSA phenotype impacted whether CPAP use lowered or heightened the risk for adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, according to study results.

These findings were published in the European Heart Journal .

“CPAP is mainly prescribed to relieve the daytime symptoms of sleep apnea,” Ali Azarbarzin, PhD , associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead investigator in the division of sleep and circadian disor