ABSTRACT
Reports of pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale in children with severe
obstructive sleep apnea had appeared in the literature several years before the
Sleep Heart Health Study revealed an increased prevalence of heart failure,
stroke, and coronary artery disease in adults with obstructive sleep-disordered
breathing (SDB) (1-3). Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is due to
intermittent upper airway obstruction during sleep, and it is characterized by
increased work of breathing, more negative than usual intrathoracic pressure
during inspiration, arousals and sleep disruption, and blood gas exchange
abnormalities (4).
