Dangerous Sleep: Oxygen Therapy for Nocturnal Hypoxemia

Abstract

The effect of sleep on the pathogenesis and progression of disease has been ignored for decades. In recent years the availability of an accurate and reliable ear oximeter¹ has revolutionized our ability to study oxygenation during sleep, and we have begun to uncover fascinating solutions to unexplained problems.In this issue of the Journal, Tirlapur and Mir² describe severe nocturnal oxygen desaturation in patients with the "blue and bloated" form of chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD). In addition, they note that this nocturnal desaturation correlates with cardiac arrhythmias and other electrocardiographic evidence of myocardial hypoxia. These important observations on . . .