COPD readmissions more likely for those with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea, study finds

In a study published in Chest Journal, researchers found that patients with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who were hospitalized with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) would be more likely to be readmitted to the hospital with complications or die.

Sunil Sharma, M.D., section chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine in the WVU Department of Medicine, served as a principal investigator and corresponding author on the study.

The study examined 380 patients admitted for severe COPD exacerbation. From that group, the odds of 30-day readmission were 6.68 times higher for moderate OSA patients versus patients without OSA, and 10.01 times higher for severe OSA patients versus patients without OSA.  Readmission rates were also greater at 90 and 180 days.

Sharma notes that COPD exacerbations one of the common causes of hospital admissions costing tax payers a $6.1 billion per year. Furthermore, after discharge 10-20% of these patients get readmitted within 30 days.

“Finding of the association of undiagnosed OSA with hospital readmission and mortality is important as early detection and treatment may reduce readmission and improve outcome,” Sharma said. “WVU is proud to have a novel hospital sleep medicine program which is designed to address the critical issue of readmissions and poor outcome. This is specifically important in the state of West Virginia where outcomes in rural population for COPD are worse than national average.”

“We continue to build on our already outstanding pulmonary care program,” Arif Sarwari, M.D., chair of the Department of Medicine, said. “Dr. Sharma and his team are opening a new understanding of the problems that exist in this demographic, and in turn, opening avenues of care that are tailored to our population.”

Read more of the study, or visit the WVU Department of Medicine website at medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/medicine.