In-hospital Outcomes and Arrhythmia Burden in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have an increased risk for arrhythmias compared to patients without OSA. However, data quantifying the risk of inpatient complications in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are lacking. We sought to compare inpatient outcomes and the occurrence of arrhythmias in patients with HFpEF with and without OSA, respectively. Furthermore, we compared the prevalence of arrhythmias with nocturnal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. We performed a retrospective study using the National Inpatient Sample from 2016–2018 to identify patients with HFpEF with and without OSA. Propensity score matching, adjusting for age, gender, race, hospital characteristics, income, and comorbidities, was used to select matched samples between both groups. From 2016–2018, 127,773 hospitalizations with HFpEF were identified; among these patients, 20% had OSA. Nocturnal CPAP was utilized in 9% of these patients. Patients with OSA had a higher mortality rate, a longer duration of hospitalization, and greater medical costs. In addition, OSA was associated with higher incidence rates of atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, premature depolarization, sick sinus syndrome, ventricular tachycardia, and atrioventricular block. Nocturnal CPAP was not associated with a lower arrhythmia incidence; however, there was a non-significant trend toward a lower cardiac arrest incidence. In conclusion, OSA in patients with HFpEF was associated with greater mortality, longer hospitalization stays, and higher medical costs relative to findings in patients without OSA. Furthermore, OSA was associated with tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias in HFpEF patients. Nocturnal CPAP was only utilized in 9% of patients, with no difference in arrhythmogenesis.