SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING AND LONG-HAUL COVID-19: A CASE REPORT

SESSION TITLE: Uncommon Presentations and Complications of Chest Infections SESSION TYPE: Rapid Fire Case Reports PRESENTED ON: 10/18/2022 10:15 am - 11:10 am INTRODUCTION: The correlation between long-haul Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) and sleep disorders remains poorly understood. In this report, we present a case of newly diagnosed central sleep apnea (CSA) and symptoms starting after a COVID-19 infection as part of a long-haul COVID-19 presentation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old male presented to a sleep medicine clinic for evaluation of hypersomnia. He had a history of hypertension and pulmonary embolism. He contracted COVID-19 eight months prior to his presentation. He was not hospitalized, but received Remdesivir and prednisone. He complained of long-haul COVID-19 symptoms since his infection which included headaches, fatigue, cough, dyspnea, anosmia, poor appetite, dysgeusia, and memory impairment. He also started noticing nocturnal apneic episodes that frightened him and woke him up from sleep. His symptoms started after his infection and were not present prior. He went to the emergency department for evaluation and no etiology was identified. He was then referred to sleep medicine for further evaluation. A home sleep apnea test was done and showed severe sleep apnea with an Apnea-Hypopnea Index of 35.7 events per hour. His sleep apnea was predominantly central with a central apnea index of 15.3 events per hour. Cardiac testing showed no evidence of ischemia or cardiomyopathy with an ejection fraction of 52%. A CT angiogram showed no evidence of PE. Brain MRI showed no acute abnormalities. He was started on positive airway pressure therapy but could not tolerate it so he was sent for a phrenic nerve stimulator implantation. DISCUSSION: Long-term sequelae of COVID-19 infection have been increasingly recognized. However, the etiology and pathophysiology is poorly understood (1). Symptoms of long-haul COVID-19 include fatigue, dyspnea, cognitive manifestations, thrombosis and sleep disturbances (1). Sleep apnea was found in some studies to be a risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness and worse outcomes (2). The relationship between COVID-19 and sleep apnea in the post-viral syndrome remains unknown. Only few case reports have found obstructive sleep apnea as a new diagnosis and a possible cause of fatigue in post COVID-19 infection (3). There is no report of a relationship between CSA and COVID-19 in the literature. It is hypothesized that long-COVID can lead to brainstem dysfunction and dysautonomia, which can affect the ventilatory control mechanisms and lead to an unstable respiration (4–6). Our patient's nocturnal symptoms started after his infection as part of long-haul COVID-19. While we cannot determine if CSA was a result of COVID-19 infection or not, it is important to evaluate for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in patients presenting with long-COVID symptoms to better understand the association. CONCLUSIONS: More research is need to better understand the correlation between SDB and long-haul COVID-19. Reference #1: 1. Mehandru S, Merad M. Pathological sequelae of long-haul COVID. Nat Immunol. 2022 Feb;23(2):194–202. 2. Miller MA, Cappuccio FP. A systematic review of COVID-19 and obstructive sleep apnoea. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2021 Feb;55:101382. Reference #2: 3. Koczulla AR, Stegemann A, Gloeckl R, Winterkamp S, Sczepanski B, Boeselt T, et al. Newly detected rapid eye movement associated sleep apnea after coronavirus disease 2019 as a possible cause for chronic fatigue: two case reports. J Med Case Reports. 2021 Dec;15(1):211. 4. Barizien N, Le Guen M, Russel S, Touche P, Huang F, Vallée A. Clinical characterization of dysautonomia in long COVID-19 patients. Sci Rep. 2021 Dec;11(1):14042. Reference #3: 5. Yong SJ. Persistent Brainstem Dysfunction in Long-COVID: A Hypothesis. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2021 Feb 17;12(4):573–80. 6. White DP. Pathogenesis of Obstructive and Central Sleep Apnea. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2005 Dec;172(11):1363–70. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Amer Als ekh Mousa No relevant relationships by University of Arizona at Banne Institute No relevant relationships by Joyce Lee-Iannotti No relevant relationships by Anas Rihawi No relevant relationships by Amr Salem No relevant relationships by Mohanad Soliman No relevant relationships by Kristen Trimble

A PATIENT WITH COVID-19 PNEUMONIA, PULMONARY EMBOLISM, AND OSA

SESSION TITLE: Global Case Reports in Critical Care SESSION TYPE: Global Case Reports PRESENTED ON: 10/19/2022 12:45 pm - 01:45 pm INTRODUCTION: Thrombotic complications in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia are emerging as an important and significant morbidity and mortality burden, with overwhelming inflammation, hypoxia, immobilization, and diffuse intravascular coagulation among possible causes of a procoagulant state (1). Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), with intermittent arterial oxygen desaturation, may in its turn contribute to a procoagulant state, causing hemodynamic alterations as polycythemia and sluggish blood flow (2). Here we report on a case of sudden and massive non-lethal pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) in a patient with COVID-19 severe pneumonia, for whom OSA was suspected and documented as a possible concurrent mechanism of thromboembolic complication during follow-up. CASE PRESENTATION: A 55-year-old male non-smoker obese (BMI 33 Kg/m2) was admitted to our hospital after 9 days of fever. In the Emergency Room, a chest HRCT scan showed bilateral diffuse ground glass opacities. He was treated with subcutaneous Tocilizumab (324 mg) single shot, Remdesivir (200 mg/day for first day and 100/daily for further 4 days), methyl-prednisolone 40 mg/daily, Enoxaparin 6000 UI/twice daily, azithromycin 500 mg/daily, high flow nasal cannula oxygen (50 L/min, TC 34°C, FiO2 35%) for moderate acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19 pneumonia (pO2: 58 mmHg, PCO2 34 mmHg pH 7.50, P/F 275). After 10 days, patient's clinical conditions worsened, needing non-invasive respiratory support;D-dimer increased abruptly, rising to 10 ng/mL, with findings consistent with PTE at a computed tomographic angiography (CTA, Fig 1). The patient was successfully treated with 10 mg/daily subcutaneous fondaparinux for 12 days, while assisted in the Intensive Care Unit, being discharged home in room air shortly later with oral anticoagulants. At the 3-month follow-up visit, OSA was suspected due to reported excessive daytime sleepiness and weakness, snoring, disturbed night sleep, morning headache in the last 4 years. The patient underwent a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) overnight. Test results revealed an AHI of 50 events/h, with several prolonged episodes of obstructive sleep apnea (307 apnea and hypopnea (A+H) events, 70 obstructive apnea and 233 hypopnea events, with a mean duration of 10% and an average arterial saturation of 93% (Fig. 2). He was adapted to CPAP therapy, with benefit and good correction of polygraphic indexes. DISCUSSION: The pathogenetic mechanisms of COVID 19 and OSA could have played a synergistic effect on endothelial damage, thus increasing the risk of thromboembolism. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of underdiagnosed comorbidities may well worsen the clinical course and complication of COVID-19;an earlier diagnosis of OSA is a prerequisite for timely treatment and, potentially, improved long-term clinical outcomes. Reference #1: Suh YJ, et al. Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis in COVID 19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Radiology 2021;298 (2): E70-E80. Reference #2: Alfonso-Fernandez A., Garcia Surquia A., de la Pena M. OSA is a risk factor for recurrent VTE Chest. 2016;150 (6): 1291-1301. DISCLOSURES: no disclosure on file for Antonietta Esposito;no disclosure on file for Antonella Frattari;no disclosure on file for Giustino Parruti;no disclosure on file for Giorgia Patrizio;no disclosure on file for Pierpaolo Prosperi;no disclosure on file for Giorgia Rapacchiale;No relevant relationships by ANTONELLA SPACONE no disclosure on file for Giacomo Zuccarini;

Accuracy and Acceptability of Level II Home Sleep Apnea Testing Compared to In-Lab Polysomnography in Children

RATIONALE: In-laboratory polysomnography (PSG) is recommended for the evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children. However, PSG is challenged by insufficient facilities, disruption to families, and high cost, exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for low-income families. Level II home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) with EEG has the potential to be more accurate than more limited polygraphy as it can provide sleep architecture and hypopneas scored due to arousals. We hypothesized that HSAT would be accurate in detecting even mild OSA in children and would be preferred by families compared to PSG. METHODS: Prospective comparative effectiveness study. Children <18 years old clinically referred for evaluation of sleep-disordered breathing underwent PSG and HSAT within one week. Parents completed a questionnaire assessing feasibility, acceptability, and preference of tests. Respiratory data and sleep architecture from HSAT were scored using AASM criteria blinded to PSG result and were compared to PSG as a reference, with an obstructive apnea hypopnea index (OAHI) greater than 2 events per hour considered a diagnosis of OSA on both tests. Questionnaire data were summarized. RESULTS: 10 children completed testing. Median (range) age was 9.3 years (3.8-17.1), including 6 Black and 4 White, with 2 Latinx, including 7 females. From PSG, OAHI was 2.0 (0, 21) events/hour and 4 participants met criteria for a diagnosis of OSA. OAHI strongly correlated between HSAT and PSG (Spearman's R=0.79, p=0.007, see Figure). There was one false negative OSA diagnosis using HSAT and area under receiver operating characteristics curve=0.9. Total sleep time on HSAT was 8.0 (4.3-10.2) versus 7.08 (2.9-8.6) hours on PSG (p=0.38). HSAT met parent approval for 8 participants, 7 parents preferred HSAT to PSG, and 6 parents found HSAT easier than PSG. CONCLUSIONS: Across a wide age range and a diverse clinical cohort, level II HSAT is highly accurate compared to PSG for the diagnosis of even mild OSA. Overall, HSAT was acceptable for parents and preferred compared to PSG. Level II HSAT may be more accurate compared to polygraphy that does not include an objective measure of sleep, particularly for mild OSA and younger children.

WHAT IS HSAT MISSING? A COMPARISON OF RESPIRATORY EVENTS AND OSA DIAGNOSIS ACROSS TYPE 2 AND TYPE 3 STUDIES

Introduction: The need for having in-home sleep testing has grown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While Type 3 Home Sleep Apnea Tests (HSAT) are frequently used, their accuracy remains questionable. This study aimed to compare respiratory events and diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea between Type 2 and Type 3 studies. Methods: 550 participants completed overnight Type 2 sleep studies using the Cerebra Sleep System. Files were autoscored as a type 2 acquisition and were manually edited by a RPSGT. On a second auto-score, mapped file channels were reduced to nasal cannula, chest belt, SpO2, position, heart rate, and audio channels to simulate a Type 3 study. The respiratory disturbance index (RDI) in the Type 2 tests was compared to the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in the simulated Type 3 files using a 4% desaturation threshold. Diagnosis of severity of OSA was classified based on indices of <5 as “None”, 5-14.99 as “Mild”, 15-29.99 as “Moderate”, and above 30 as “Severe”. Results: 5 records were removed for having a TST <4 hours. Type 2 sleep tests detected significantly more respiratory events (21.0±21.2/hr.) compared to Type 3 tests (13.4 ±17.2;t(549) = 26.8, p<.0001). The use of the Type 2 RDI resulted in 104 patients (18.9% of patients;39.4% of treatable patients) with moderate OSA falling into the mild category under the Type 3 AHI. The number of treatable patients was thus 71% higher with a Type 2 study. Overall, the diagnoses of Type 2 RDI and Type 3 AHI were only in agreement for 263 out of the 550 records, or 47.8% of the time. Conclusion: The use of a Type 2 study detected more respiratory events than the Type 3 device. Consequentially, 104 patients received a higher severity of obstructive sleep apnea when the EEG information was included. Our results provide support for the use of Type 2 devices for in-home detection of obstructive sleep apnea to provide more accurate diagnostic detection than the more frequently used Type 3 home sleep apnea tests.

THE EFFICACY OF HOME SLEEP APNEA TESTS ALONE IN DETERMINING OPTIMAL TREATMENT MODALITY FOR SLEEP DISORDERED BREATHING DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Introduction: Home sleep studies have shown strong accuracy and reliability in diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea compared to PSG. Recent studies have suggested they can accurately detect central sleep apnea as well. The combination of better technology, stricter insurance requirements for in lab polysomnograms, and a rise in telemedicine has seen their utilization rapidly increase. Specifically, at the height of the COVID pandemic many sleep practices had to shut down their labs and rely on HSATs alone to evaluate patients with potential sleep disordered breathing. Methods: The Albuquerque VA Sleep Center was one of these, which provided an opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of this diagnostic modality over that timeframe. A total of 780 patients with suspected sleep disordered breathing were studied using ResMed ApneaLink II Machines from 3/16/21 to 7/1/21 while in lab PSGs were unable to be completed due to health and safety guidelines. Results: Of these 780 patients, only 34 were determined to need further evaluation with an in lab titration study once the lab reopened. Given how few of these patients ended up with titration studies, no additional criteria were used to categorize them other than a provider deciding they needed the study. The charts of these patients were reviewed in detail to identify any common characteristics that could have contributed to them needing a more detailed evaluation with an in lab polysomnogram. This provided further information about the accuracy and reliability of HSATs, as well as traits of patients who would have been ideally studied with an in lab PSG instead. Conclusion: Overall such a small percentage of patients, only 4%, needing further titration speaks to both the reliability of HSATs as diagnostic studies, and the effectiveness of remote titration through cloud based monitoring systems like AirView.

SLEEP MEDICINE CARE THROUGH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated use of telehealth, an expansion of services that required the appropriate technological infrastructure for health care facilities and in patient homes. Telehealth on the one hand has held promise for addressing health disparities perpetuated by inadequate rural access, but delivery requires extensive broadband and technologic access. That creates the possibility for new kinds of healthcare disparities. In addition, COVID-19 forced marked reduction in in-lab polysomnography (PSG), and concurrent expansion of home sleep apnea testing (HSAT). We hypothesized that the pandemic led to an increase in the overall frequency of telehealth and HSAT utilization, particularly in those who were younger, White, more educated, and from a non-local area. Methods: We completed a retrospective chart review of all adult patients seen by all provider types across the Sleep Medicine practices in Mayo Clinic Rochester, Arizona, Florida, and the Mayo Clinic Health System between 1) 6/1/183/8/20 (Pre-COVID-19), 2) 3/9/204/19/20 (Early COVID-19), and 3) 4/20/20present (Late COVID-19). We recorded the total number of PSGs and HSATs and total number of face-to-face and telehealth visits, along with the age, gender, race, educational level, and locality by zip code for patients served. These data were compared across the 3 timeframes. Results: Average monthly visits changed from Pre-COVID-19, Early COVID-19, to Late COVID-19 [2194.7/m, 1416.5/m, 2690.6/m (P<0.001)]. Average monthly sleep test volumes also changed [1004.1/m, 530.5/m, 1123.4/m (P<0.001)], with a proportionate increase in HSATs across the 3 periods [34.71%, 65.37%, 53.59% (P<0.005)]. The increase in Late COVID-19 in telehealth visits occurred proportionately more in those who were younger, female, non-White, college and post-graduate educated, and from a non-local area. The increase in use of HSATs occurred proportionately more in patients who were younger, female, non-White, college and post-graduate educated, and from a local area. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of telehealth visits and HSATs in Sleep Medicine practices across our enterprise, particularly in those who are younger and more educated, which may be due to ease of use with and access to technology. The reasons for the presence of additional disparities based upon gender, race, and locality needs further exploration.

Telemedicine-based sleep services for a complex child: optimizing care during a pandemic and beyond.

A 12-year-old male with nonverbal autism and morbid obesity was referred to a pediatric sleep center during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic for complaints of snoring with tonsillar hypertrophy and difficulty falling asleep. Due to social challenges, the family had not sought in-person care in the past. Through telemedicine consultation and home sleep apnea testing, the patient was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea as well as an irregular sleep-wake disorder. This unique utilization of the health care system in the care of a complex patient with multiple sleep disorders demonstrates the utility of remote care and testing. There is a great benefit to continuing to provide pediatric sleep care in this way beyond the pandemic.

Reopening Sleep Medicine Services in the Conundrum of an Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic: A Global View.

The emergence of COVID-19 brought all healthcare services around the globe to immense strain; hospitals abandoned elective care for acute care. Like all other elective services, sleep medicine services suffered a partial deadlock due to the closing down of the sleep disorders diagnostic and therapeutic services, although clinical consultations and follow-ups, carried on remotely, allowed some mitigation. Since there is dire need to resume the services, we tried to formulate the principles and guidelines to work in this exigent healthcare setting. Principles and guidelines are based on epidemiological and infection control guidelines besides recommendations of various healthcare organizations and sleep societies, after a requisite web search to extract the data.