To sleep: perchance to ditch the ventilator

Sleep Architecture Patterns in Critically Ill Patients and Survivors of Critical Illness: A Retrospective Study

Rationale: Sleep abnormalities are very frequent in critically ill patients during and after intensive care unit (ICU) stays. Their mechanisms are poorly understood. The odds ratio product (ORP) is a continuous metric (range, 0.0-2.5) of sleep depth measured in 3-second intervals and derived from the relationship of powers of different electroencephalographic frequencies to one another. When expressed as the percentage of epochs within 10 ORP deciles covering the entire ORP range, it provides information about the mechanism(s) of abnormal sleep. Objectives: To determine ORP architecture types in critically ill patients and survivors of critical illness who had previously undergone sleep studies. Methods: Nocturnal polysomnograms from 47 unsedated critically ill patients and 23 survivors of critical illness at hospital discharge were analyzed. Twelve critically ill patients were monitored also during the day, and 15 survivors underwent subsequent polysomnography 6 months after hospital discharge. In all polysomnograms, each 30-second epoch was characterized by the mean ORP of the 10 3-second epochs. The number of 30-second epochs with mean ORP within each of 10 ORP deciles covering the entire ORP range (0.0-2.5) was calculated and expressed as a percentage of total recording time. Thereafter, each polysomnogram was characterized using a two-digit ORP type, with the first digit (range, 1-3) reflecting increasing degrees of deep sleep (ORP < 0.5, deciles 1 and 2) and the second digit (range, 1-3) reflecting increasing degrees of full wakefulness (ORP > 2.25, decile 10). Results from patients were compared with those from 831 age- and gender-matched community dwellers free of sleep disorders. Results: In critically ill patients, types 1,1 and 1,2 (little deep sleep and little or average full wakefulness) dominated (46% of patients). In the community, these types are uncommon (<15%) and seen primarily in disorders that preclude progression to deep sleep (e.g., very severe obstructive sleep apnea). Next in frequency (22%) was type 1,3, consistent with hyperarousal. Day ORP sleep architecture was similar to night results. Survivors had similar patterns, with little improvement after 6 months. Conclusions: Sleep abnormalities in critically ill patients and survivors of critical illness result primarily from stimuli that preclude progression to deep sleep or from the presence of a hyperarousal state.

Sleep and critical illness: a review

Critical illness and stays in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have significant impact on sleep. Poor sleep is common in this setting, can persist beyond acute critical illness, and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In the past 5 years, intensive care clinical practice guidelines have directed more focus on sleep and circadian disruption, spurring new initiatives to study and improve sleep complications in the critically ill. The global SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic and dramatic spikes in patients requiring ICU level care also brought augmented levels of sleep disruption, the understanding of which continues to evolve. This review aims to summarize existing literature on sleep and critical illness and briefly discuss future directions in the field.

Effects of Sedatives on Sleep Architecture Measured With Odds Ratio Product in Critically Ill Patients

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

OBJECTIVES:

Evaluation of sleep quality in critically ill patients is difficult using conventional scoring criteria. The aim of this study was to examine sleep in critically ill patients with and without light sedation using the odds ratio product, a validated continuous metric of sleep depth (0 = deep sleep; 2.5 = full wakefulness) that does not rely on the features needed for conventional staging.

DESIGN:

Retrospective study.

SETTINGS:

A 16-bed medical-surgical ICU.

PATIENTS:

Twenty-three mechanically ventilated patients who had previously undergone two nocturnal sleep studies, one without and one with sedation (propofol, n = 12; dexmedetomidine, n = 11).

INTERVENTIONS:

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:

Sleep architecture was evaluated with odds ratio product analysis by the distribution of 30-second epochs with different odds ratio product values. Electroencephalogram spectral patterns and frequency of wake intrusions (3-s odds ratio product > 1.75) were measured at different odds ratio product levels. Thirty-seven normal sleepers were used as controls. Compared with normal sleepers, unsedated critically ill patients spent little time in stable sleep (percent odds ratio product < 1.0: 31% vs 63%; p < 0.001), whereas most of the time were either in stage wake (odds ratio product > 1.75) or in a transitional state (odds ratio product 1.0–1.75), characterized by frequent wake intrusions. Propofol and dexmedetomidine had comparable effects on sleep. Sedation resulted in significant shift in odds ratio product distribution toward normal; percent odds ratio product less than 1.0 increased by 54% (p = 0.006), and percent odds ratio product greater than 1.75 decreased by 48% (p = 0.013). In six patients (26%), sedation failed to improve sleep.

CONCLUSIONS:

In stable critically ill unsedated patients, sleep quality is poor with frequent wake intrusions and little stable sleep. Light sedation with propofol or dexmedetomidine resulted in a shift in sleep architecture toward normal in most, but not all, patients.