OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment on intrinsicoid deflection time (R wave peak time) and P wave discrimination in severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).
METHODS: Fifty-five patients with severe OSAS (apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 30) and a healthy control group were included. Baseline electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography (ECHO), and polysomnography parameters were recorded. All patients received CPAP treatment. ECG and ECHO echocardiography tests were repeated after one-year of CPAP therapy.
RESULTS: A total of 55 OSAS patients (36 M, 19 F) with a mean age of 56.9 ± 7.6 years and 54 healthy controls (31 M, 23 F) with a mean age of 56.6 ± 5.7 years were included. There was a significant improvement in terms of intrinsicoid deflection time in lead V1 (76.2 ± 8.3 vs. 59.8 ± 7.2) and lead V6 (58.5 ± 8.0 vs. 49.8 ± 7.1), and P-wave dispersion (95.2 ± 12.8 vs. 39.8 ± 6.4) after one-year CPAP treatment (p<0.001). Cardiac volumes and diameters improved significantly.
CONCLUSION: CPAP treatment significantly decreases intrinsicoid deflection time in leads V1 and V6, and improves P-wave dispersion. The results of this study indicate that long-term CPAP treatment had a strong protective effect on right or left cardiac functions in severe OSAS patients without any cardiac and pulmonary disease.
