Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in elderly patients with cardiac pacemaker: a case-control study

Objective To investigate the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in elderly patients with permanent cardiac pacemaker implantation due to bradyarrhythmias, and the relationship between pacing mode and patients' sleep apnea-hypopnea index. Methods Forty-four elderly patients (>60 years) with cardiac pacemaker and their 44 controls matched for gender, age, body mass index and cardiovascular morbidity were studied using polysomnography or portable sleep monitoring device. Results Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (apnea-hypopnea index >5/h) was 44.7% and the mean apnea-hypopnea index was 8.2+4.1/h in the cardiac pacemaker group , which were significantly higher than those in control subjects (25% and 4. 6±2.4/h, respectively, P<0.01 and P<0.05). The mean apnea-hypopnea index of patients with ODD or AAI pacemaker was significantly lower than that of patients with VVI pacemaker. Conclusions Sleep-disordered breathing was more common in patients who had their cardiac pacemaker implanted due to bradyarrhythmias than in their matched controls. Compared with VVI pacing, ODD or AAI pacing may be more beneficial to patients with bradyarrhythmias and sleep-disordered breathing.