LAUSR

Introduction/Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome affects 5% of the adult population and its prevalence is 13 times higher in coronary patients. However, OSA in coronary patients is less suggestive, leading to under diagnosis and lower adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. While oropharyngeal exercises showed significant decrease in Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) in patients with moderate OSA, there were no studies on specific inspiratory muscle training (IMT). The aim of our study was to assess the effectiveness of IMT on AHI reduction in coronary patients with moderate OSA and already engaged in a cardiac rehabilitation program post-infarction. Material and method We included coronary patients involving in a cardiac rehabilitation program after infarction, presenting an AHI between 15 and 30, and without clinical symptoms requiring CPAP. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 allocation in a control group (CTL - classic training) or in an IMT group (classic training + IMT). IMT consisted in a prolonged inspiration into a device allowing the air to pass during the inspiration only according to the force developed. The resistance applied was 70% of the maximum inspiratory pressure (Pimax). Patients in the IMT group perform 2 sets of 30 breaths per day, 6 days a week for 2 months. Results We included 19 patients (59 ± 10 years; BMI = 27 ± 3 kg/m2). All the patients showed a significant decrease in AHI after rehabilitation (21.5 ± 5.1 to 16.3 ± 7.8, P  Conclusion A specific IMT during a cardiac rehabilitation contributes to reduce significantly AHI in coronary patients with moderate OSA. Further research is needed to determine which patients benefit more of this alternative therapy.