SLEEP-APNEA IN OBESE MINIATURE PIGS

We postulated that three extremely obese Yucatan miniature pigs would have more sleep apnea than three nonobese Yucatan miniature pigs. Pigs were studied with the use of electroencephalograms, inductance plethy smography, oximetry, expired nasal CO2, or thermistors. All of the obe se pigs, but none of the nonobese pigs, had both sleep apnea (8.5, 10. 3, and 97.0 in obese pigs vs. 0 apnea + hypopnea/h in all nonobese pig s; P < 0.05) and oxyhemoglobin desaturation episodes during sleep [9.4 +/- 3.0 vs. 0 + 0.53 (SD) mean desaturation episodes/h in obese pigs vs. nonobese pigs, respectively; P < 0.05]. Two of the extremely obese pigs had obstructive sleep apnea, whereas the third obese pig had cen tral sleep apnea. We conclude that sleep apnea occurs in extremely obe se Yucatan minipigs and suggest that this animal can be used as a mode l for sleep apnea in obesity.