Work

Low AHI with elevated T90 as a clinical clue to underlying respiratory impairment in the sleep heart health study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Extract The apnoea–hypopnoea index (AHI) remains the dominant metric for classifying sleep-disordered breathing severity, but it captures event frequency, not the depth, duration, or cumulative burden of nocturnal oxygen desaturation. Oxygenation-based metrics, including T90 (percentage of sleep time with SpO2 <90%) and sleep apnoea-specific hypoxic burden, provide cardiopulmonary prognostic information beyond AHI [1–3], suggesting that nocturnal hypoxaemia captures dimensions not reflected by AHI.

Source: ERJ Open Research

DOI: 10.1183/23120541.01006-2026

Authors: Taizou Hirano, Hiromasa Ogawa, Shinya Ohkouchi, Toshiya Irokawa, Hisatoshi Sugiura, Hajime Kurosawa

Institution: Tohoku University

Language: English

Topic: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Research

Subfield: Physiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $808