TY - JOUR T1 - Daytime predictors of sleep-disordered breathing in neuromuscular patients to better schedule polysomnography JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 231 LP - 232 DO - 10.1183/09031936.00122610 VL - 37 IS - 2 AU - F. Lofaso AU - B. Fauroux AU - D. Orlikowski AU - H. Prigent Y1 - 2011/02/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/37/2/231.abstract N2 - Long-term mechanical ventilation has improved survival and quality of life in patients with neuromuscular disorders (NMD) 1–4.The 1999 consensus guidelines for the initiation of nocturnal mechanical ventilation 5 included criteria related to hypoventilation during sleep; namely symptoms suggesting hypercapnia during sleep and oxygen desaturation for a consecutive 5 mins. However, patients with NMD frequently under-report symptoms related to hypoventilation, which are also often nonspecific 6. Moreover, the usefulness of oxygen saturation alone is limited because of the hyperbolic shape of oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve, which may show minor oxygen dissociation in the presence of hypoventilation and reduced arterial oxygen tension. Another limit of these consensus guidelines 5 is that sleep apnoea syndrome, which is frequent in NMD populations 7, was not taken into account. Finally, establishing the diagnosis of … ER -