Sleep hypoventilation in hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: prevalence and associated factors.

Sleep hypoventilation (SH) may be important in the development of hypercapnic respiratory failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The prevalence of SH, associated factors, and overnight changes in waking arterial blood gases (ABG), were assessed in 54 stable hypercapnic COPD patients without concomitant sleep apnoea or morbid obesity. Lung function assessment, anthropomorphic measurements, and polysomnography with ABG measurement before and after sleep were conducted in all patients. Transcutaneous carbon dioxide tension (Pt,CO2) was measured in sleep, using simultaneous arterial carbon dioxide tension (Pa,CO2) for in vivo calibration and to correct for drift in the sensor. Of the patients, 43% spent > or = 20% of sleep time with Pt,CO2 > 1.33 kPa (10 mmHg) above waking baseline. Severity of SH was best predicted by a combination of baseline Pa,CO2, body mass index and per cent rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. REM-related hypoventilation correlated significantly with severity of inspiratory flow limitation in REM, and with apnoea/hypopnoea index. Pa,CO2 increased mean+/-SD 0.70+/-0.65 kPa (5.29+/-4.92 mmHg) from night to morning, and this change was highly significant. The change in Pa,CO2 was strongly correlated with severity of SH. Sleep hypoventilation is common in hypercapnic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and related to baseline arterial carbon dioxide tension, body mass index and indices of upper airway obstruction. Sleep hypoventilation is associated with significant increases in arterial carbon dioxide tension night-to-morning, and may contribute to long-term elevations in arterial carbon dioxide tension.

HPLC-UV method for the quantitation of nevirapine in biological matrices following solid phase extraction.

Nevirapine (VIRAMUNE) is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor with activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), currently marketed for the treatment of HIV-1 infected adults. A reverse phase HPLC-UV method was optimized and validated for the determination of nevirapine in human plasma, serum, milk and cerebrospinal fluid. The analyte was extracted from 250 microl of biofluid using a bonded silica solid phase extraction column, and resolved chromatographically on a reversed-phase, 15x0.46 cm i.d. 5 microm particle Supelco LC-8 analytical column with an isocratic mobile phase of 63% phosphate buffer (0.025 M, pH 6.0) with 1-butanesulfonic acid as anion-pair reagent: 21.5% methanol: 15.5% acetonitrile. The peaks were detected at a flow rate of 1.0 ml min(-1), at a wavelength of 280 nm, with a run time of 10 min. The assay was linear over a range of 25 to 10000 ng ml(-1). This method has been used for the clinical development of nevirapine.