Sleep Apnea Raises Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death!

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – New research out of Midwest Heart Specialists-Advocate Medical Group in Elmust, Illinois, suggests that a moderate case of obstructive sleep apnea can significantly increase an individual’s risk for sudden cardiac death.
Apoor Gami, MD, MSc, FACC, cardiologist and lead author of the study, and his team followed 10,701 patients for an average of 5.3 years for incidents of sudden cardiac death. They found that 142 patients experienced sudden cardiac death. The most common predictor was a patient aged 60 years, who had 20 apnea episodes an hour and who had a lowest oxygen saturation level of below 78 percent. The study also discovered that a drop to below 78 percent increases the patients risk of sudden cardiac death by 80 percent.
For more information, go to: http://www.cardiosource.org/News-Media/Media-Center/News-Releases/2013/06/Sleep-Apnea-Increases-Risk-of-Sudden-Cardiac-Death.aspx
SOURCE: Journal of the American College of Cardiology, June 2013