Sleep apnea

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Don't know where your doctor gets his/her information but I just did some internet searches trying to find a correlation between sleep apnea and BAV -- and found nothing. If there was a connection, there would have been something at the Cleveland Clinic's wwebsite, since it is the #1 heart hospital in the U.S.
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/disorders/sleep_apnea/hic_sleep_apnea.aspx
 
The nurses in cardio rehab indicated to me there is a link between apnea and a host of heart problems, but not specifically BAV. IIRC, apnea has been linked to high blood pressure that is hard to control with drugs.

I have it and BAV. I got notice of apnea and my need for a valve replacement at the same time last year in November. Took care of the valve...not sure about the apnea yet. I have some symptoms but they are only bothersome during the height of allergy season.

Jayhawk, do you use a CPAP machine? If so does it work for you?
 
My daughter had avr in feb 2012.she had unicuspid and passed out twice.She was just diagnosed with sleep apnea. I have sleep apnea and a bicuspid valve 1.1 to be fixed in the future.
 
I have sleep apnea, but not BAV. I have also been told that sleep apnea has been associated with a number of heart issues, inlcuding higher blood pressure. Not heard or read anything about a connection to BAV though.
 
Tom in MO - I do think my machine helps to some degree. I used to wake up during the night feeling like I had been taking tiny, tiny breaths and then taking a big breath in to "catch up" . I only noticed that I needed to be checked for apnea as I was VERY sleepy during training for a new job. Could NOT hold my eyes open. Now I do feel better with the sleepiness as I also take a Nuvigil and it seems to help. If you need a machine, please go and get one. A family member of mine had been tested for it and never would get the machine. He said he needed more Vitamin D so would sit in the back yard with his shirt off for 10 minutes a day. His lungs were ruined beyond help as the CO2 backed up in them. We said goodbye to him last May.
 
Hi Carol,
I have sleep apnea, actually diagnosed with severe case of it and had to go to a BI pap machine. I did some research and from what my sleep apnea doc has said, it can be related to heart issues, but it can also be related to having been hit in head and can be a brain issue. If it's not severe, usually it can be controlled by losing weight. I go in for my surgery on Tuesday, this is a repeat, and I hope it makes a difference. I also plan to continue to keep weight down to see if that makes a difference. I can tell a difference if I don't use the bi pap machine, but I'm praying this will maybe at least get me to go back to just a regular cpap machine.
Godspeed and I'll see you on the other side.
 
Thanks for the info.

I don't have any dramatic symptoms to motivate me other than snoring. It's on my plate now that the heart valve stuff is over. The nurses in cardiac rehab did a good job of educating me on it. It's a complex subject.
 
I don't believe there is any direct correlation proven yet, but certainly given the odds of each condition, many will inevitably have both conditions. Sleep apnea is about twice as common as BAV. I think the bigger issue is that sleep apnea leads to other things that can worsen the condition of a patient with a bicuspid aortic valve - pre or post surgery. Sleep apnea causes hypertension, abnormal heart rhythms, and other cases of heart dysfunction which of course are not a recommended mix with a valve disorder. Some studies have even suggested that sleep apnea exposes one to a heightened risk of thoracic aorta dilation, the very common co-condition in those with BAV. I'm not sure I'd go so far to say that is definitive either, though, since other studies suggest that the dilation is indirect, and more a byproduct of sleep apnea induced hypertension, but whatever the case, the risk is still there for all of these issues whether it is direct or indirect.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 5 years before my surgery, but only after constant prodding by my wife since I actually never had any feelings of not getting enough sleep. I gave CPAP a shot and absolutely hated it, just didn't think I could get comfortable with it. So I gave up. Fast forward 5 years to my cardiologist imparting the importance of sleep apnea on my condition, shortly after telling me I needed surgery, well my perspective and motivation changed quite a bit!

So, I used the CPAP all night for the first time the evening of my surgery...and have done so every night since. :thumbup:

By the way, for additional info on the topic, Duff Man started an interesting poll a year or two ago, as well as added some study links to a related thread of mine:

http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?37612-Aortic-Aneurysm-and-Respiratory-Issues
http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?38464-Aortic-Aneurysm-stuff
 
For what it's worth I was diagnosed with sleep apnea last week - have my sleep study later this month. I had a BAV and aortic aneurysm repaired back in Feb this year. I haven't had this discussion with my cardiologist yet, so I'm not aware of how they may be related...

Sean
 
Sean75GB, from what I was told and read on the subject, you cannot receive a sleep apnea diagnosis w/o a sleep study.
 
tom in MO said:
Sean75GB, from what I was told and read on the subject, you cannot receive a sleep apnea diagnosis w/o a sleep study.
Click to expand...

I had one of those take home sleep screenings - apparently it was enough to diagnose - my electronic medical records have it on there. We'll see what the doc has to say, I go in there today for the consultation.
 
By sleep study, I assumed the article meant being hooked up to a monitoring system. From my own experience, they told me at my sleep study that they can monitor for different things, such as just apnea, just restless leg syndrome, or a whole bunch of things at the same time.
 
I've been using a cPAP for 3 years, and now I can't sleep without it. I'm still in the waiting room, and the surgeon has told me he's pretty sure I'm bicuspid. I also have a smaller than normal airway (I've had 8 adult teeth removed because they didn't fit in my mouth!), and am about 50 lbs overweight (which is 20 lbs less than 6 months ago!). I also have consistently low BP, usually ~105/68 or some such, and low resting HR - around 60. My husband also uses a cPAP, but has none of the other issues I deal with.
 
Congratulations on losing the weight. Its the best way to help your apnea and heart. Keep up the great work! Wish i could do the same.
 
My GP really helped me put it in perspective: Eat a few bites of your meal, then take a few moments to determine if you are still hungry. If you are truly still hungry, eat a few more bites and try again. If you are no longer hungry, say, "Well, Crap!" and put the food away and walk away from the table. (He actually said to throw the food away, but I don't have a doctor's salary to spend on food.) I eat a LOT less now than I did a year ago. It works for me, it might work for you. Also, DDP Yoga (look it up and make your own decisions!)
 
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 5 yrs. ago and since then I have used my cpap machine every night since then. Where I go my cpap goes. When I had my AVR in July (this year), guess what? My machine was with me all during my hospital stay. I don't know if there is a correlation between having a valve condition and sleep apnea, but what I can tell you is I wake up fully rested unlike the old days when I felt exhausted when getting out of bed. Is it a pain lugging it around? You bet. And it's not exactly a glamorous thing to put on at night, but it works. Nita
 
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