Journal Article

Prevalence and Characteristics of Sleep Apnea in Intensive Care Unit Survivors After SARS-CoV-2 Pneumonia

Aurelia Meurisse, Rachel Martarello, Virginie Westeel, Sébastien Pili-Floury, Cindy Barnig, Fréderic Claudé, Gilles Capellier, Emmanuel Samain, Julien Behr, Ophélie Ritter, Sophie Paget-Bailly, Hadrien Winiszewski, Kevin Bouiller, Franck Grillet, Catherine Chirouze, Pauline Roux-Claudé, Guillaume Eberst, Lucie Laurent, Pascale Jacoulet, Ibrahim Traore, Bastien Poirson

2022

Overview

Sleep apnea (SA) was reported as possibly exacerbating symptoms of COVID-19, a disease induced by SARS-CoV-2 virus. The same comorbidities are common with both pathologies. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, characteristics of SA and variation in AHI three months after severe COVID-19 requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. A prospective cohort of patients admitted to ICU for severe COVID-19 underwent an overnight home polygraphy 3 months after onset of symptoms, as part of a comprehensive follow-up program (pulmonary function tests, 6-minute walk tests and chest CT-scan). Patients with an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) ≥5 were considered as having SA. We performed a comparative descriptive analysis of 2 subgroups according to the existence, severity of SA and indication for effective SA treatment: patients with absent or mild SA (AHI <15) vs patients with moderate to severe SA (AHI ≥15). Among 68 patients included, 62 (91%) had known comorbidities (34 hypertension, 21 obesity, 20 dyslipidemia, 16 type 2 diabetes). It has been observed a preexisting SA for 13 patients (19.1%). At 3 months, 62 patients (91%) had SA with 85.5% of obstructive events. Twenty-four patients had no or a mild SA (AHI <15) and 44 had moderate to severe SA (AHI ≥15). Ischemic heart disease exclusively affected the moderate to severe SA group. Except for thoracic CT-scan which revealed less honeycomb lesions, COVID-19 symptoms were more severe in the group with moderate to severe SA, requiring a longer curarization, more prone position sessions and more frequent tracheotomy. SA involved 91% of patients in our population at 3 months of severe COVID-19 and was mainly obstructive type. Although SA might be a risk factor as well as consequences of ICU care in severe COVID-19 infection, our results underline the importance of sleep explorations after an ICU stay for this disease.

• Publisher: Informa UK Limited,Dove Medical Press Limited,Taylor & Francis Ltd,Dove Press,Dove Medical Press,Dove
• Subject: Analysis / Bacterial pneumonia / Body mass index / Cardiovascular disease / Comorbidity / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / Critical care / Diabetes / Emerging diseases / Guillain-Barre syndrome / Health aspects / Heart diseases / Hospitals / Human health and pathology / Hypertension / Infections / Infectious diseases / intensive care unit / Life Sciences / Medical imaging / Medical research / Medicine, Experimental / Nature and Science of Sleep / Nervous system / Neurophysiology and neuropsychology / Obesity / obstructive sleep apnea syndrome / Original Research / Ostomy / Patients / Pneumonia / Polygraphs / Psychiatry / Pulmonary fibrosis / Pulmonary function tests / Pulmonology and respiratory tract / QP351-495 / Questionnaires / RC435-571 / Risk factors / Santé publique et épidémiologie / SARS-CoV-2 / sars-cov-2. pneumonia. obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. intensive care unit / Sensors / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Sleep apnea / Sleep apnea syndromes / Sleep disorders / Tissues and Organs / Type 2 diabetes / Ventilators / Weight control