The following is a summary of “Obstructive sleep apnea modulates clinical outcomes post-acute myocardial infarction: A large longitudinal veterans’ dataset report,” published in the MAY 2023 issue of Pulmonology by Agrawal, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to investigate the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and in-hospital mortality in patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It was known that OSA, which causes intermittent hypoxia (IH) over the long term, can lead to various comorbidities. However, it was increasingly evident that OSA may provide protective benefits during and after AMI.

The researchers conducted a nationwide retrospective study utilizing records from the Veterans Health Administration. The study included patients hospitalized for AMI and with a history of sleep disorders between 1999 and 2020. Patients were divided into two cohorts: those with OSA and those without OSA. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality during AMI hospitalization. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data and calculate the odds ratio of in-hospital mortality.

Out of more than four million veterans with any sleep diagnosis, 76,359 patients were hospitalized with a diagnosis of AMI. Among these patients, 30,116 had OSA (age, 64 ± 10 years; BMI, 33 ± 7 kg/m2), and 43,480 did not have OSA (age, 68 ± 12 years; BMI, 29 ± 6 kg/m2). The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of in-patient mortality (n = 333 (1.1%)) was lower in those with OSA (aOR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.49) compared to those without OSA (n = 1,102, 2.5%). However, the OSA cohort had a higher proportion of the prolonged length of stay (28.1%).

After adjusting for various demographic and comorbidity factors, OSA was associated with lower in-hospital mortality among patients admitted for AMI. The study highlighted the complex relationship between OSA and cardiovascular health and emphasized the need for further research in the area.

Reference: resmedjournal.com/article/S0954-6111(23)00102-6/fulltext