Associations between nocturnal continuous blood pressure fluctuations and the characteristics of oxygen desaturation in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a pilot study

Abstract Background Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) frequently experience apnea-related oxygen desaturation events (ODE) accompanied by striking blood pressure (BP) fluctuations during sleep. We aimed to investigate the effects of characteristics of ODE on nocturnal BP fluctuations in OSA patients. Methods and Results A total of 6199 ODE were obtained from 30 patients with who underwent overnight portable monitoring and beat-to-beat BP monitoring simultaneously. The associations between nocturnal BP parameters and the characteristics of ODE were studied. The mean value of systolic BP (SBP) monitored during ODE was higher than the non-hypoxia SBP value (122.0±15.9 vs. 120.4±15.1mmHg, P=0.001) and nighttime SBP value (122.0±15.9 vs. 120.8±15.0 mmHg, P=0.002). SBP variability (SBPV) during ODE was higher than the values not during ODE (14.0±2.8 vs. 13.2±2.6 mmHg, P=0.043) and nighttime SBPV (14.0±2.8 vs. 12.9±2.3 mmHg, P Conclusion BP related to ODE may be the main component of increased BP during sleep in OSA patients. In addition to the frequency of respiratory events, the amplitude and duration of ODE may have a role in nocturnal BP fluctuations in OSA patients.