Characteristics of high proportional desaturation(PD) cases according to presence of a large patent foramen ovale (PFO)
| Large PFO | Yes | No | p-value# |
| Subjects n | 9 | 6 | |
| ODI/AHI | 0.86±0.11 | 0.78±0.07 | 0.08 |
| AHI n | 43±22 | 58±17.0 | 0.18 |
| HI n | 14.0±7.7 | 34±10.3 | 0.003 |
| AI n | 28.6±21.4 | 23.8±21.3 | ns |
| Hypopnoea min·h-1 | 5.8±2.4 | 14.8±5.1 | 0.006 |
| Apnoea min·h-1 | 14.0±12.9 | 9.2±8.9 | ns |
Data are presented as n or mean±sd, unless otherwise stated. ODI: oxygen desaturation index; AHI: apnoea–hypopnoea index; HI: hypopnoea index (number of episodes of hypopnoea per hour of sleep); AI: apnoea index (number of apnoeic episodes per hour of sleep); ns: nonsignificant. All p-values are given unless p<0.2.