A WORLD-first Coventry trial will see the hearts of 100 patients with sleep apnoea monitored to help researchers understand why sufferers are more likely to die from heart disease.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust and the University of Warwick have been awarded almost £265,000 by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to carry out research over three years.
A study from the Sleep Apnoea Trust showed as many as 10million people in the UK suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), the most common form of the condition.
This causes breathing to stop intermittently due to airways blockage
at night which can cause sleepiness during the day.
People with OSA are more likely to become ill and die from a heart-related condition.
The most common way to treat OSA is with a Continuous Positive-Airways Pressure (CPAP) machine which pumps air into people’s mouths through a mask while they sleep.
Research has shown using the machine doesn’t prevent heart disease.
Experts aim to find out whether this is because patients with OSA are more likely to suffer from arrhythmias, including the most common rhythm disturbance called atrial fibrillation (AF).
This happens when the electrical impulses in the top two chambers of the heart fire chaotically, causing them to quiver or twitch.
This can lead to an increased risk of stroke, heart failure or other heart-related problems if left undetected and untreated.
Tiny devices will be implanted under the skin of patients to monitor heart rhythms.
Consultant Cardiologist Professor Faizel Osman said: We know the pick-up rate for AF in patients with OSA is traditionally very low, but with this trial, we’re planning to get, for the very first time in the world that I am aware of, an accurate idea of exactly what the prevalence rate is.
“We hope that by the end of the trial to know what the true rate of atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias is in these patients and be able to prove that this is something that is happening to people with OSA but isn’t always discovered.
“This would mean that heart monitoring could become more routine for those at risk who present with OSA with the very real potential to save lives.”
