Definition and Importance of Autonomic Arousal in Patients with Sleep Disordered Breathing.

Autonomic arousal at the end of sleep apnea events are not well-explored. We prospectively studied 20 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and 24 healthy volunteers for 2 nights with cardiorespiratory polysomnography and continuous noninvasive blood pressure (Portapres). Recordings were scored visually for cortical and autonomic arousal. In the OSA group, 2151 cortical arousals and in the controls 1089 cortical arousals were scored. Respiratory arousal caused most frequently an increase of highest mean arterial blood pressure in patients and controls. A useful definition for autonomic arousal for OSA and controls based on blood pressure and heart rate analysis was developed.