Obstructive Sleep Apnoea and Cardiac Arrhythmias

Overview

This study is a prevelance trial looking at how sleep apnoea affects the heart especially heart rhythms. Previous research shows that patients suffering from sleep apnoea are much more likely to get heart disease and abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). These defects are sometimes missed by the traditional methods of monitoring i.e. 24-hour Holter monitor and ECGs. This means potentially dangerous arrhythmias may not be detected. Additionally, standard therapy for sleep apnoea does not significantly reduce the risk of heart disease. This study will recruit 200 participants over a period of 18 months. The research team will observe the heart rhythms of sleep apnoea patients by inserting an implantable loop recorder (ILR) in up to 100 participants. The other 100 patients will simply have standard care. This device will monitor the heart continuously for 3 years allowing us to detect abnormal heart rhythms and treat as necessary. Demonstrating the incidence of arrhythmia can lead onto a larger study which may change future sleep apnoea management improving their cardiovascular outcomes. Other markers of heart disease such as; blood tests, Magnetocardiography and Echocardiography will be performed on participants to shed more light on the mechanisms which link sleep apnoea and heart disease/arrhythmia.

Sleep apnoea affects up to 1.5 million adults in the United Kingdom (UK). This puts this population at risk of reduced oxygen levels during sleep, poor sleep and increased breathing effort . All of the above put stress on the body and are proven to increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart failure and vascular problems. This can lead to strokes, heart disease and death. Sleep apnoea patients are at much higher risk of abnormal heart rhythms. Even with continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) treatment (which is the mainstay in sleep apnoea and does help to reduce arrhythmias) patients are still at higher risk of heart disease and stroke. An implantable loop recorder (Reveal-LINQ) inserted into sleep apnoea patients will be able to continuously monitor a patient's heart rhythm. This will determine the incidence of arrhythmia in sleep apnoea patients. Any significant abnormalities in either arm of the study will be treated as per National Health Service guidelines and best care. The cost associated with this method of intervention will also be considered. If there is a high prevalence of arrhythmia a future larger trial, involving much larger numbers and multiple centres, could be conducted to demonstrate reduced risk of stroke or heart attack using this method of arrhythmia detection and management. Cardiovascular biomarkers, cardiac function, autonomic function and magnetocardiography in these patients could shed light on the mechanisms which cause increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.