Sleep apnea, coronary artery calcium density, and cardiovascular events: results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), coronary artery calcium (CAC) density, and cardiovascular events in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). METHODS: We analyzed 1,041 participants with nonzero CAC scores who had polysomnography and CAC density data from the fifth examination of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. OSA was defined as apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 15 events/h. Multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate the independent association between OSA and CAC density. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of OSA on associations of CAC measures with incident cardiovascular disease events by testing for interaction in Cox proportional hazard regression models. RESULTS: Our analytical sample was 45% female with a mean age of 70.6 +/- 9 years. Of this sample, 36.7% (n = 383/1041) had OSA (apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 15 events/h). OSA was inversely and weakly associated with CAC density (ß = -0.09; 95% CI, -0.17 to -0.02; P = .014) and remained significantly associated after controlling for traditional cardiovascular risk factors (ß = -0.08; 95% CI, -0.16 to 0; P = .043). However, this inverse association was attenuated after controlling for body mass index (ß = -0.05; 95% CI, -0.13 to 0.02; P = .174). The mean follow-up period for cardiovascular disease events was 13.3 +/- 2.8 years. Additionally, exploratory analysis demonstrated that CAC density was independently and inversely associated with cardiovascular disease events only in the non-OSA subgroup (apnea-hypopnea index ≤ 15 events/h) (hazard ratio, 0.509; 95% CI, 0.323-0.801); P = .0035). CONCLUSIONS: OSA was associated with lower CAC density, but this association was attenuated by body mass index. Further, increased CAC density was associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease events only in individuals within the non-OSA group in exploratory analysis. CITATION: Newman SB, Kundel V, Matsuzaki M, et al. Sleep apnea, coronary artery calcium density, and cardiovascular events: results from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(10):2075-2083.

Formation and assessment of a novel surgical video atlas for thyroidectomy.

Within surgery, interactive media have previously been used to educate medical students and residents. Here, we develop and assess the efficacy of a novel surgical video atlas in teaching surgically relevant head and neck anatomy to medical students. A total thyroidectomy was recorded intraoperatively and subsequently narrated to develop a video atlas. Medical students were recruited and randomly assigned to one of the two interventions. One group was assigned to the video atlas, while the other was supplied with a traditional textbook atlas. Both groups underwent pre- and post- tests to evaluate anatomical knowledge and satisfaction. Thirty-seven students completed the study, with 18 students in the experimental group and 19 students as control. In the video atlas arm, mean pre and post-test scores were 57.2% and 84.5%, respectively. In the traditional textbook arm, the mean pre- and post-test scores were 55.3% and 76.51%, respectively. Students with the video atlas had a mean post-test score 8.07% points higher than those without (p = .035). Overall, students were significantly more satisfied with the surgical video atlas than with the standard traditional textbook. A surgical video atlas was shown to more effectively teach head and neck anatomy to medical students compared to standard textbook atlases.