TY - JOUR T1 - Overnight pulse propagation time derived from oximetry is associated with daytime blood pressure in patients with sleep apnea JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 40 IS - Suppl 56 SP - P912 AU - Ludger Grote AU - Dirk Sommermeyer AU - Ding Zou AU - Derek Eder AU - Joachim Ficker AU - Winfried Randerath AU - Ingo Fietze AU - Bernd Sanner AU - Jan Hedner Y1 - 2012/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P912.abstract N2 - IntroductionThe state of sleep is characterized by unloading of the autonomic nervous system and represents an opportunity to investigate the properties of the cardiovascular (CV) system. We investigated overnight pulse propagation time (PPT) as an indirect measure of vascular stiffness during sleep and its association with daytime blood pressure (BP).MethodsThe digital pulse wave, derived from finger oximetry, was recorded during sleep in 495 subjects (169 females, age 54±12 y, BMI 30±6 kg/m2, AHI 19±23 n/h) referred to five sleep centers. Office BP and established CV risk factors were assessed. PPT was calculated as the time between the top and the subsequent dichotic notch of the digital pulse wave. Mean PPT across the entire sleep period was calculated.ResultsPPT was associated with age, systolic BP, diastolic BP, the number of apneic as well as hypoxic events during sleep (r=-0.54, -0.19, -0.21, -0.13, and -0.11, p<0.01 respectively). PPT was lower in patients with hypertension compared to normotensives (160±34 ms vs. 178± 47 ms, p<0.001). In a multivariate analysis, PPT was independently associated with age, height, waist, smoking, hypertension and diabetes but not sleep apnea indices.ConclusionsPPT determined by overnight oximetry reflects daytime BP and presence of hypertension. Assessment of PPT during sleep may be a useful tool for classification of overall CV function and risk.The study was supported by Weinmann GMBH, the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation and the University of Gothenburg. ER -