Nocturnal hypoxaemia after myocardial infarction: association with nocturnal myocardial ischaemia and arrhythmias.

Abstract

Episodic and constant hypoxaemia are common during the first week after acute myocardial infarction. Episodic hypoxaemia was associated with electrocardiographic abnormalities in most patients. Thus, episodic nocturnal hypoxaemia may be particularly detrimental to the infarcted myocardium in the early phase after infarction; special attention should therefore be directed towards oxygenation in this group of patients.