Diaphragmatic Ultrasound and Hypoxic Burden in "Osa" (osa)

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a serious health condition that has been estimated to affect nearly 936 million adults aged between 30 and 69 worldwide according to recent to recent global estimates.

OSA is therefore a very common condition that results in several health consequences, such as cardiovascular pathology, metabolic disruptions, cognitive decline .

attended Polysomnography (PSG) is considered the gold standard for diagnosis of OSA ,with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) as the more frequently used indicator of disease severity.

However in recent studies AHI have been shown to be inconsistently related to adverse consequences of OSA Hypoxic burden defined as the sum of individual area under oxygen saturation curves related to every respiratory event obtained by pulse oximeter during the total sleep time, has been suggested as a more accurate measure of OSA severity relating to symptoms and adverse effects.

The diaphragm as the most important muscle of respiration, can impact OSA severity although the extent of such effect is still unclear.