Re: Angina and oxygen level

Posted By CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on March 22, 1999 at 09:40:18:

In Reply to: Angina and oxygen level posted by Tina on March 18, 1999 at 09:19:20:







Hi, I'm a 40 year old female. I have been told I have angina and I take nitro pills when I have chest pain. I also have emphysema and asthma. My doctor recently sent home an oximeter to record my oxygen level over night. It went to 83 and stayed in the low/mid 80's most of the night. My lowest heart rate was 40, the highest was 157. I was sent for a sleep study and it showed that I had sleep apnea. My oxygen level fell as soon as I laid down before I fell asleep so I don't think the sleep apnea is the only reason for it. I asked my doctor about treatment and he said none was needed, I should just lose weight. I'm concerned because I have read that low oxygen levels are hard on your heart. Since I already have angina/ischima (the doctor has called it both, are they the same thing?) couldn't the low oxygen level hurt my heart more, could it be why I have chest pains in the first place? Would you recommend any treatment for a patient with low oxygen levels and angina? Thanks,
Tina




Dear Tina
As a first step, your sleep apnea should be treated. You should go to a doctor who is a sleep specialist. Lung doctors (pulmonologists) sometimes have this sort of training. If you have asthma, emphysema, and sleep apnea, you should be seeing a lung doctor anyway. Most likely you will need to be fitted with an oxygen mask at night to keep your oxygen levels from getting that low. Oxygen levels of the sort you describe are bad for your health and could cause permanent damage to your heart. In particular, it can cause heart failure. In fact, you should be evaluated for any damage on your heart already.
I am not sure how the diagnosis of angina was made in the first place. I do not believe in prescribing a medicine (nitro pills in your case) for a symptom without knowing the cause. You should also be evaluated by a cardiologist.
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. Good luck.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology
staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.