Where There Is Smoke…There Is Sleep Apnea

Is Apnea-Hypopnea Index a proper measure for Obstructive Sleep Apnea severity?

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

The ankle-brachial index (ABI), a ratio of systolic blood pressure measured at the ankle and the brachial artery, is a simple noninvasive screening test used to diagnose peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD affects over 12 million people in the United States and its prevalence increases with increasing age (1,2). Patients with an abnormal ABI, defined as 0.90 or 1.40, are at increased risk of...

Where there is a will there is a way

Peritonitis was a significant problem for our peritoneal dialysis patients in 2003. In January 2004, we initiated a continuous quality improvement project to address the problem. Our project took 18 months to complete. We developed many action items. Our first step was to analyze the data to ensure accuracy, and also to determine the causative organism that contributed most to the problem. The ...

Where there is no overlap, there is a gap.

What is central sleep apnea?

Central sleep apnea (CSA) describes a group of conditions in which cessations in air flow occur without respiratory effort. In contrast, obstructive sleep apnea patients have ongoing respiratory effort during respiratory events. However, considerable overlap exists in the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of obstructive sleep apnea and CSA. A good working knowledge of the mechanisms underl...