Letter by Naoumis et al Regarding Article, “Sleep Apnea in Patients With Transient Ischemic Attack and Minor Stroke: Opportunity for Risk Reduction of Recurrent Stroke?”

Abstract

To the Editor: We read with great interest the recent study by Chan et al1 regarding a high prevalence of sleep apnea among patients with TIA and minor stroke. The authors demonstrated the persistence of obstructive sleep apnea at 3 months after ictus and therefore assumed that it predated the onset of stroke contributing to its pathogenesis. Moreover, patients with obstructive sleep apnea were significantly more exposed to nocturnal hypoxia. Our group is also studying sleep apnea in patients with acute stroke using the oxygen desaturation index (ODI)—number of desaturations >4% per hour—as a reliable index of estimating the oxygenation and came to conflicting results. ODI …