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Pulmonary Problems in Pregnancy pp 123–133Cite as

Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Pregnancy

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Part of the book series: Respiratory Medicine ((RM))

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are defined using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) from overnight polysomnography (PSG). AHI is the sum of apneic and hypopneic events per hour of sleep (1). Obstructive apneas are defined by more than 80% decrease in airflow for 10 s or more in the presence of thoraco-abdominal efforts. Hypopneas are defined by a decrease in airflow of at least 30% for 10 s or more accompanied by decreased oxygen saturations by 4% or more in the presence of thoraco-abdominal efforts. An AHI greater than 5 events per hour is diagnostic of OSAS and an AHI greater than 30 events per hour indicates severe disease. Percentage of sleep time spent below 90% oxygen saturation and the average number of arousals per hour of sleep aid in the assessment of SDB.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postdoctoral Fellow Pulmonary and Critical Care Section, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520, USA

    Kathleen Akgun MD

  2. Assistant Professor Pulmonary Critical Care, Yale University School of Medicine, 40 Temple Street, Suite 3C, New Haven, CT 06520, USA

    Francoise J. Roux MD, PhD

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  1. Kathleen Akgun MD
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    © 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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    Akgun, K., Roux, F.J. (2009). Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Pregnancy. In: Rosene-Montella, K., Bourjeily, G. (eds) Pulmonary Problems in Pregnancy. Respiratory Medicine. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-445-2_9

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-445-2_9

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