Canadian Respiratory Journal
Volume 2, Issue 1, Pages 69-73
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/1995/254831
Sleep Apnea and Aortic Dissection
Sleep Laboratory, Department of Medicine, The Wellesley Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Copyright © 1995 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
A 62-year-old man presented with obstructive sleep apnea, congestive heart failure and Cheyne-Stokes respiration. Further evaluation revealed a chronic dissecting aneurysm of the aorta causing vena caval obstruction. Surgical correction or the aneurysm dramatically improved ventricular function with resolution of Cheyne-Stokes respiration. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure corrected the obstructive sleep apnea and associated clinical features. The cardiopulmonary interactions between sleep apnea and aortic dissection are discussed.