New research suggests the AHI is no longer enough to assess cardiovascular risk from OSAS, with two new biomarkers offering better insights for CPAP treatment benefits.
AHI no longer reliable for predicting CV risk
The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), which measures the frequency of breathing interruptions during sleep, is no longer considered a reliable indicator of cardiovascular risk in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).New markers introduced at the congress
At the recent congress, researchers introduced two new physiological markers to assess the impact of OSAS on cardiovascular health: the specific hypoxic burden of OSAS (SASHB) and the heart rate response (ΔHR).SASHB and ΔHR better identify CPAP benefits
These two markers, SASHB and ΔHR, appear to be more effective than the AHI in identifying which patients with OSAS are most likely to benefit from continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy in terms of cardiovascular health.Focus on cardiovascular outcomes
The new approach emphasizes the importance of cardiovascular outcomes in determining the effectiveness of CPAP treatment, suggesting that traditional measures like the AHI may not fully capture the health risks associated with OSAS.
