1255 Previously unknown ventricular arrhythmia in a globally delayed pediatric patient with tuberous sclerosis

Introduction

We present a case of previously unknown ventricular ectopy in a pediatric patient who is globally delayed. As the patient is non-verbal, it is possible the patient may have ultimately experienced heart failure or a lethal arrhythmia were it not for the polysomnogram (PSG).

Report of Case

A four year old female with Tuberous Sclerosis (TS) was referred to our pediatric sleep center for snoring. Her past medical history includes intracardiac tumors, daily seizures, and global developmental delay. Initial PSG showed moderate obstructive sleep apnea defined by an obstructive Apnea-Hypopnea Index of 6.89 and no cardiac arrhythmias. Positive airway pressure titration study was performed one year later. Premature ventricular contractions were noticed during the setup while patient was awake. Intermittent couplets and triplets occurred during sleep as well as a prolonged run of bigeminy that initiated during a period of wake after sleep onset and persisted into non-rapid eye movement sleep. She was escorted to the emergency room where a 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) showed sinus rhythm with non-specific interventricular conduction delay and right ventricular hypertrophy. She was discharged with a Holter monitor and subsequent analyses was concerning for frequent ventricular couplets and non-sustained runs of ventricular tachycardia. She required admission to initiate anti-arrhythmic therapy. Imaging revealed stable intracardiac tumors, but revealed scarring within sites of intramyocardial lesions. She failed different anti-arrhythmic agents before settling with amiodarone.

Conclusion

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) can cause or worsen cardiac arrhythmias. This case highlights the importance of routine surveillance in patients with both known cardiac disease who have or are at risk of having significant cardiac arrhythmias and suspected SDB. Additionally, current guidelines for TS patients recommend EKG once every 3 to 5 years. This case may also highlight the importance of increased cardiac surveillance in this population group.

Self-reported sleep bruxism and nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: relationship to gender and ethnicity

Study Objectives :

Nocturnal bruxism is associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and GERD is strongly associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Gender and ethnic differences in the prevalence and clinical presentation of these often overlapping sleep disorders have not been well documented. Our aim was to examine the associations between, and the symptoms associated with, nocturnal GERD and sleep bruxism in patients with OSA, and to examine the influence of gender and ethnicity.

Methods :

A retrospective chart review was performed of patients diagnosed with OSA at an academic sleep center. The patients completed a sleep questionnaire prior to undergoing polysomnography. Patients with confirmed OSA were evaluated based on gender and ethnicity. Associations were determined between sleep bruxism and nocturnal GERD, and daytime sleepiness, insomnia, restless legs symptoms, and markers of OSA severity in each group.

Results :

In these patients with OSA, the prevalence of nocturnal GERD (35%) and sleep bruxism (26%) were higher than the general population. Sleep bruxism was more common in Caucasians than in African Americans or Hispanics; there was no gender difference. Nocturnal GERD was similar among all gender and ethnic groups. Bruxism was associated with nocturnal GERD in females, restless legs symptoms in all subjects and in males, sleepiness in African Americans, and insomnia in Hispanics. Nocturnal GERD was associated with sleepiness in males and African Americans, insomnia in females, and restless legs symptoms in females and in Caucasians.

Conclusion :

Patients with OSA commonly have comorbid sleep bruxism and nocturnal GERD, which may require separate treatment. Providers should be aware of differences in clinical presentation among different ethnic and gender groups.

Gender and ethnic differences in prevalence of self-reported insomnia among patients with obstructive sleep apnea

BACKGROUND

Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are the two most common sleep disorders. Studies have shown that complaints of insomnia are prevalent among sleep clinic patients evaluated for OSA. Less is known about the gender and ethnic variations in this association.

OBJECTIVES

This paper aims to study the influence of gender and ethnicity in the prevalence of insomnia in patients with OSA and explore the association between these two disorders with an emphasis on psychophysiologic insomnia.

METHODS AND MEASUREMENTS

We reviewed case files, including self-reported questionnaires and polysomnography studies of 300 OSA patients [apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of >10] from three ethnic groups--Caucasian, Hispanic, and African American, 50 patients each, male and female, seen at a tertiary care county hospital adult sleep center. Self-reported insomnia was classified as sleep onset insomnia, sleep maintenance insomnia, or insomnia with early morning awakening. Psychophysiologic insomnia was documented if the patient reported two of the following five symptoms: racing thoughts when trying to sleep, increased muscle tension when trying to sleep, fear of being unable to sleep, fear of being unable to fall back to sleep after waking up, and lying in bed worrying. Fischer exact tests for each contingency table were run using SPSS.

RESULTS

Among OSA patients, women were older, had higher body mass index, and lower AHI at the time of diagnosis, compared to men. Insomnia was more prevalent among patients with OSA (84%) than the reported 30% among general adult population. Sleep onset insomnia was reported more frequently by women (62%) than men (53%) (p = 0.03). Similarly self-reported psychophysiologic insomnia also showed a female preponderance (53% vs. 45%, p = 0.03). Caucasian women had the highest rate of self-reported sleep maintenance insomnia (80%). Hispanic women are more likely to complain of symptoms suggestive of psychophysiologic insomnia (58%).

CONCLUSIONS

There is a higher prevalence of insomnia in OSA patients. Ethnicity and gender possibly exhibit a complex and significant influence on the reported subtype of insomnia. Further larger studies may help confirm, as well as clarify, mechanisms that underlie the ethnic and gender differences that we have noted.

Sleepiness in medical ICU residents

BACKGROUND AND METHODS

Sleepiness in medical residents has crucial implications for the safety of both patients and residents. Measures to improve this have primarily included an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-mandated reduction in work hours in residency programs. The impact of these work-hour limitations has not been consistent. The purpose of this study was to provide an objective assessment of daytime sleepiness in medical residents working in the medical ICU. Sleep times for 2 days/nights prior to on call and on the day/night of being on call were assessed by actigraphy and sleep diaries. On-call and post-call measurements of residents' sleepiness were measured both objectively, by means of a modified multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) [two nap sessions], as well as subjectively, by the Stanford Sleepiness Scale.

RESULTS

Our data showed that despite an average sleep time of 7.15 h on nights leading to being on call, the mean sleep latency (MSL) on the on-call day was (+/- SD) 9 +/- 4.4 min, and 4.8 +/- 4.1 min (p < 0.001) on the post-call day. On the post-call day, 14 residents (70%) had an MSL of < 5 min, suggesting severe sleepiness, compared to 6 residents (30%) on the on-call day.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that residents working in the ICU despite reductions in work hours demonstrate severe degree of sleepiness post-call.