Sleep in PostPolio Syndrome: Results (Part 2)

Group I Patients
Patients on rocking beds had consistently poor quality sleep with a lower than normal TST and an increased number of arousals and stage 1 sleep (Table 2). Differing degrees of respiratory abnormality were apparent during sleep. In some cases, there was a desynchronization of respirations with the patient attempting a breath between breaths generated by the bed to intermittent hypoventilation (Fig 3) which occurred throughout the night. In two patients (1 and 2), there were paradoxic respirations during NREM sleep as well as when the patients were awake. Significant oxygen desaturations occurred in all patients (Table 3). Two patients (1 and 3) had high AHI all night, while one (No. 5) had a high AHI only during REM. The remaining two patients had short periods of NREM sleep (stage 1 and 2 only). One patient (No. 2) slept only 88 minutes and demonstrated continuous hypoventilation without discrete apneas or hypopneas and had a mean Sa02 of 88 percent. The other patient (No. 4) only slept 44 minutes with a similar breathing pattern and had a mean Sa02 of 87 percent. birth control pills
The patients on rocking beds were evaluated first on nasal CPAP with the rocking bed and then on mechanical ventilation via nasal mask. Nasal CPAP was not efficacious in this group. Patients became short of breath and were uncomfortable on CPAP.

Table 2—Sleep Quality

Table 3—Apnea/Hypopnea Index

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