Characteristics of Peripheral Blood Flow in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Vyacheslav S. Yanushin1, Yulia I. Loktionova1, Elena V. Zharkikh1, Viktor V. Sidorov2, Viktoria K. Vorsina3, Yulia S. Kuznetsova3, Anastasia D. Solonina3, Alexander L. Kalinkin3, Andrei V. Dunaev1; 1Research and Development Center of Biomedical Photonics, Orel State University Named After I.S. Turgenev, Orel, Russia; 2“SPE LAZMA” Ltd., Moscow, Russia; 3Sleep Medicine Center, University Clinic, Moscow Research and Education Institute, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent episodes of intermittent hypoxia which leads to disruptions in sleep structure, oxygen deprivation in tissues, and an increased risk of hypertension and ischemic heart disease. Despite the well-established association between OSA and cardiovascular complications, the characteristics of peripheral blood flow responses during episodes of intermittent hypoxia remain insufficiently investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in blood microcirculation in patients with OSA during intermittent hypoxia.
The study included 31 patients with OSA and 7 healthy volunteers. All participants underwent overnight respiratory monitoring with simultaneous assessment of blood microcirculation using wearable devices «LAZMA PF» based on laser Doppler flowmetry. The devices were positioned on the right and left forearms. Comparative analysis was performed for the microcirculation index, nutritive blood flow, and shunt blood flow.
All patients’ groups with OSA demonstrated a statistically significant increase in tissue perfusion compared with the control group (Kruskal-Wallis test). The average perfusion across all patients during night sleep was 13.3 ± 3.6 perfusion units (PU) in the right forearm and 14.7 ± 3.1 PU in the left forearm. For the healthy group tissue perfusion was 8.7 ± 1.2 PU and 9.9 ± 1.0 PU in the right and left forearms, respectively.
In the control group, shunt blood flow was 4.4 ± 0.9 PU and 5.3 ± 1.0 PU, whereas in the patient group, this parameter increased to 7.6 ± 2.2 PU and 7.9 ± 2.8 PU in the right and left forearms, respectively. Nutritive blood flow increased less markedly, from 4.3 ± 0.5 PU and 3.8 ± 0.9 PU in the control group to 5.1 ± 1.2 PU and 6.7 ± 1.8 PU in the patient group. This increase may reflect a compensatory physiological response aimed at enhancing tissue perfusion under hypoxic conditions.
These findings demonstrate the potential of wearable analyzers for long-term monitoring of peripheral blood flow and assessment of vascular alterations associated with sleep-disordered breathing.
Speaker
Yanushin Vyacheslav Sergeevich
Research and Development Center of Biomedical Photonics, Orel State University Named After I.S. Turgenev, Orel, Russia
Russia
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