Polysomnography: Some Difficult Questions
Authors: A. JAY BLOCK
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1981)

Editorials1 November 1981Polysomnography: Some Difficult QuestionsA. JAY BLOCK, M.D.A. JAY BLOCK, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-95-5-644 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptSyndromes associated with hypersomnia and sleep apnea are well established (1). Breathing may cease during light sleep and rapid-eye-movement sleep because of upper airway obstruction, central cessation of respiratory drive, or a combination of both. Oxygen desaturation may follow either cessation or diminution of breathing and can lead to pulmonary hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, cor pulmonale, and sudden death (2, 3). Patients with these disorders are usually fat, very sleepy, and extremely loud snorers; they may have congestive heart failure and frank disorders of respiratory control (pickwickian syndrome) (4). Treatment for this condition in its most severe form usually consists of...References1. GUILLEMINAULTDEMENT CW. Sleep Apnea Syndromes. New York: Alan R. Liss; 1978. Google Scholar2. TlLKIANGUILLEMINAULTSCHROEDERLEHRMANSIMMONSDEMENT ACJKFW. Sleep induced apnea syndrome: prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias and their reversal after tracheostomy. Am J Med. 1977;63:348-58. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. TILKIANGUILLEMINAULTSCHROEDERLEHRMANSIMMONSDEMENT ACJKFW. Hemodynamics in sleep-induced apnea: studies during wakefulness and sleep. Ann Intern Med. 1976;85:714-9. LinkGoogle Scholar4. ROCHESTERENSON DY. Current concepts in the pathogenesis of the obesity-hypoventilation syndrome: mechanical and circulatory factors. Am J Med. 1974;57:402-20. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. GUILLEMINAULTELDRIDGETILKIANSIMMONSDEMENT CFAFW. Sleep apnea syndrome due to upper airway obstruction: a review of twenty-five cases. Arch Intern Med. 1977;137:296-300. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. 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The effect of low flow oxygen on sleep-disordered breathing and oxygen desaturation: the study of patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. Chest. 1980;78:682-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar18. . Continuous or nocturnal oxygen therapy in hypoxemic chronic obstructive lung disease: a clinical trial. Ann Intern Med. 1980;93:391-8. LinkGoogle Scholar19. . Certification Standards and Guidelines for Sleep Disorders Centers. 1980. Available from P.O. Box 480, East Setauket, NY 11733. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: A. JAY BLOCK, M.D.Affiliations: Departments of Medicine and Anesthesiology College of Medicine University of Florida The Veterans Administration Medical Center Gainesville, Florida PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byThe Assessment of a New Technology for Evaluating Respiratory Abnormalities in SleepPsychopharmakotherapie bei Schlafstörungen 1 November 1981Volume 95, Issue 5Page: 644-645KeywordsBreathingFatsHealth services researchHeart failureMedical servicesOxygenPolysomnographyPulmonary hypertensionSleepSleep apnea ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 November 1981 PDF downloadLoading ...