The prevalence of sleep apnea in type B aortic dissection: Implications for false lumen thrombosis

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been implicated in aortic dissection. Thrombosis of the false lumen is associated with a prognosis of type B aortic dissection (AoD), and partial thrombosis has been reported to be an independent predictor of mortality. This study sought to explore whether the severity of OSA is associated with false lumen thrombosis. Aims and Methods: In this observational study, 151 type B AoD patients were recruited consecutively from 2013 to 2015. The status of the false lumen was classified as patent, partially thrombosed, or completely thrombosed based on a computer tomography angiography image. Patients were divided into non-OSA group (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] < 5), and mild (5 ≤ AHI ≤ 15), moderate (15 < AHI ≤ 30), and severe OSA groups (AHI > 30) using the AHI. Results: The prevalence of OSA in type B dissection was 66.2%. Among 151 cases, 51 patients (33.8%) were in the non-OSA group, 56 (37.1%) were in the mild group, 21 (13.9%) were in the moderate group, and 23 (15.2%) were in the severe group. Additionally, a partially thrombosed false lumen was observed in 88 patients (58.3%). Multivariable analysis revealed that OSA severity was positively associated with partial thrombosis (odds ratio, 1.784, 95% confidence interval: 1.182-2.691, P = .006) after adjusting for other confounding factors. Conclusions: OSA was present in two-thirds of patients with type B AoD. The severity of OSA was significantly associated with an increased risk of partial false lumen thrombosis. OSA may therefore be implicated in both the etiology and prognosis of AoD.