Image

People who underwent percutaneous intervation (PCI) or angioplasty (reopening of blocked arteries) are found to be at a higher risk of stroke, heart failure, heart attack, or death if they suffer from sleep apnea, compared to those who don’t suffer from this condition . Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a medical term for disease which implies that the blood supplied to the heart is blocked. Sleep apnea has long been known as a risk factor for major heart concerns. Still, many doctors who care for PCI patients underestimate this condition and don’t know that sleep-disordered breathing has a close relation to a variety of heart diseases.

The presence of sleep apnea in ACS patients is a warning sign of major cardiovascular problems after angioplasty. There were studied 241 participants with acute coronary syndrome who had PCI. Findings showed that more than 50% of the patients suffered from sleep apnea and nearly half of them had severe cardiovascular events. Thus, researchers suggest that it is of crucial importance to detect sleep apnea as part of routine clinical care and treat it timely and effectively.

American Heart Association. “Sleep disorders may predict heart events after angioplasty.” ScienceDaily, 15 June 2015

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *