Somers - Figure 54
Usual Sleep-Wake Cycles
FIG. 54: This Figure, from the same study depicted in the previous 2 Figures, shows this pattern of sudden death an OSA more clearly.[38] Here the 24-h period is divided into 8-hour intervals; 10.00 PM to 6.00 AM, 6.00 AM to 2.00 PM, 2.00 PM to 10.00 PM. Again there is a clear distinction, where patients with OSA experienced >50% of the sudden deaths during the nighttime hours, between 10.00 PM and 6.00 AM, with the reverse distribution during the later, daytime hours. In other words, these data show that OSA seems to change the timing of sudden death. In other words, the data document that patients with OSA are more likely to die during the nighttime than during the daytime.
What these data do not tell us, of course, is whether the overall risk of sudden death is increased in patients with OSA.
References
Gami AS, Howard DE, Olson EJ, Somers VK. Day–night pattern of sudden death in obstructive sleep apnea. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:1206–1214.
