Variability of Pulse Signal Frequency Obtained Using Nocturnal Pulse Oximetry in Patients with Sleep Apnoea/Hypoapnoea Syndrome

• Published in: Archivos de bronconeumología (English ed.) 2010-03, Vol.46 (3), p.116-121
• Main Authors: del Campo Matía, Félix, Sánchez, Roberto Hornero, Sanz, Carlos Zamarrón, González, Daniel Álvarez, Víctor Marcos Martín, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Diagnosis; Diagnóstico; Female; Frecuencia cardiaca; Heart Rate; Humans; Male; Measurement of central tendency; Medida de tendencia central; Middle Aged; Oximetry - instrumentation; Polysomnography; Severity of Illness Index; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - diagnosis; Sleep apnoea syndrome; Síndrome de apnea del sueño
• ISSN: 1579-2129; 1579-2129
• DOI: 10.1016/S1579-2129(10)70031-8

The measurement of central tendency (MCT) is a non-linear analysis technique which applied to second order differences diagrams enables the degree of variability to be quantified in a data series. In the present study an attempt is made to quantify and characterise the changes in heart rate obtained by pulse oximetry in patients with a clinical suspicion of sleep apnoea/hypoapnoea syndrome (SAHS) using the MCT and to evaluate its diagnostic use. A total of 187 patients were included in the study, on whom a nocturnal polysomnographic and pulse oximetry study was performed. To evaluate the variability of the heart rate the MCT applied to graphs of second order differences obtained from the heart rate record. Patients with SAHS had a higher heart rate variablity than patients without SAHS (0.449 vs 0.666, P