Ï㽶ֱ²¥

The study

There is a strong association between obstructive sleep apnoea and hypertension. Research has proven that sleep apnoea activates key pathways which promote hypertension and treating sleep apnoea can lower blood pressure.

This is an international multi-site observational study to see if Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment for sleep apnoea leads to improvements in blood pressure and heart disease risk.

This study is recruiting for people aged 30 to 75 years old, diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea and are prescribed Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) by their sleep specialist.

This study will involve 2 daytime visits (~2 hours duration) to Royal North Shore Hospital. Blood pressure and heart rate measurements will be taken before starting treatment and at 6-months of treatment.

Aims

• To determine the effect of CPAP on 24-hour blood pressure between symptom subtypes.
• To determine the effect of CPAP on biomarkers of future cardiovascular risk.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 30 - 75 years.
• ODI4% ≥ 10 event/h.
• Planned CPAP treatment.

Exclusion criteria

• Current treatment for OSA.
• Central sleep apnoea > 50% of total AHI.
• Heart failure, renal failure.
• Pregnancy.
• Other sleep disorders.

Consent for participation in this study must be provided by the participant.

Ethics committee approval has been granted by Northern Sydney Local Health District [RGS0000004321].

The study

This is an observational study to see if personalised treatment of sleep apnoea improves the structure and function of the heart in people with sleep apnoea. With an increasing number of people losing their lives to heart disease each year, the CardioSleep-MRI study, the first of its kind, will use novel MRI technology to broaden scientific understanding of the link between heart disease and sleep apnoea

This study is recruiting for people aged 30 to 75 years old, diagnosed with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea and are prescribed Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) and/or Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD) by their sleep specialist.

This study will require a minimum of 3 daytime visits (~ 2 hours duration) at Royal North Shore Hospital. Blood pressure measurements, and an MRI scan will be taken before starting treatment and at 12-months of treatment.

Aims

• To determine the effect of personalised OSA treatment for 12 months on cardiac structure and function using MRI.
• Explore the association of MRI based cardiovascular phenotypes, advanced ECG analytics and OSA.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 30 - 75 years.
• ODI4% ≥ 15 events/h.
• Planned CPAP or MAD treatment.

Exclusion criteria

• Current treatment for OSA.
• Central sleep apnoea > 50% of total events.
• Heart failure, renal failure.
• Pregnancy.
• Other sleep disorders.
• Contraindicated to MRI.

Consent for participation in this study must be provided by the participant.Ethics committee approval has been granted by Northern Sydney Local Health District [2022/ETH02547].

The study

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a heterogeneous condition. That is, individuals with similar severity of disease may manifest with a variety of distinct symptoms. Clusters of OSA symptoms have been identified and grouped into subtypes defined by excessive sleepiness (presenting with multiple sleepiness complaints), disturbed sleep (characterized by insomnia-related complains), and minimally symptomatic (presenting with a lack of traditional symptoms). Research has indicated that OSA patients categorised as having an excessive sleepiness symptom subtype are at increased cardiovascular (CV) risk and thus may need more urgent treatment. However, it is currently unclear whether symptom subtypes are stable over time

Aims

• Determine the short-term reliability of the OSA symptom clusters over time prior to treatment.
• Determine the minimum number of questions required to identify an individuals symptom subtype.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18+ years.
• Recently diagnosed with OSA (AHI>5).

Exclusion criteria

• Current treatment for OSA.
• Central sleep apnoea > 50% of total AHI.

Consent for participation in this study must be provided by the participant.

Ethics committee approval has been granted by Northern Sydney Local Health District [2023/ETH01993].

The study

Poor quality sleep is a major societal burden that affects the well-being of many individuals. Common clinical sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and insomnia are widespread, problematic conditions that are associated with major negative health consequences, such as cardiovascular disease. The gold standard method for diagnosing clinical sleep disorders is via overnight polysomnography (PSG). However, PSG is labour-intensive, expensive, limited by long waitlists for a clinical test, and often only performed as a single night ‘snapshot’ that does not accurately reflect normal sleeping habits.

Alongside the rising demand for PSG studies, numerous commercially available consumer sleep devices are being developed with the aim of offering convenient and accessible alternatives to PSG. Many of these devices assess sleep duration and quality via various biological signals, such as pulse oximetry, heart rate and respiratory rate fluctuations, auscultation, and actigraphy measured by wearable or non-contact devices. 

This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of commercial sleep tracking devices during multi-night measurements. This study will also investigate whether these devices capture night-to-night variability in sleep quality and sleep disorder severity, which is currently not performed as a part of clinical PSG studies. Furthermore, this study will assess how night-to-night variability impacts on an individual’s cardiovascular health.

Aims

• Evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of commercial sleep tracking devices in patients with sleep disorders and in patients with cardiovascular disease.
• Exame night-to-night variations in sleep duration and quality, and the impact of these variations on cardiovascular health.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18+ years.
• Recently diagnosed with OSA (AHI>5) and/or a cardiovascular disease (such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation or coronary artery disease).
• Willing to use a portable sleep monitor for at least 1 month and complete online questionnaires.

Consent for participation in this study must be provided by the participant.

Ethics committee approval has been granted by Northern Sydney Local Health District [2024/ETH02909].

The study

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common condition where breathing stops and starts during sleep. It can cause snoring, poor sleep, tiredness during the day, and increase the risk of health issues like high blood pressure and heart disease.

The usual way to diagnose OSA is with a full sleep study in hospital (called a PSG), but wait times can be long—sometimes several months or more. Simpler sleep study devices used at home may offer a faster, easier alternative, but we need to understand how they compare to the full hospital test.

This study will compare three simplified sleep study devices to the full sleep study. We'll also look at whether doing sleep studies over multiple nights at home gives a better diagnosis than just one night in a lab.

If you're referred for a sleep study and join the research, you'll be randomly assigned to one of four test options. Your participation could help make sleep apnoea diagnosis quicker and more accessible for everyone

Aims

• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of three limited-channel sleep studies versus the full PSG for identifying OSA.
• To assess clinical outcomes over 6 months for patients managed based on simplified versus full PSG results.
• To evaluate the cost of simplified versus full PSG testing and its potential for reducing long waiting times and increasing access for patients.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18+ years.
• Patients referred to a sleep physician for investigation of possible OSA.
• Willingness and ability to provide informed consent and participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

• Had a sleep study, diagnosis, or treatment for sleep apnoea in the past 5 years.
• Were referred for a different sleep problem (not related to breathing).
• Have a serious mental health or memory issue that makes it hard to give consent or follow the study process.
• Have severe lung disease, need oxygen, or have a serious neuromuscular condition.
• Have unstable heart disease or heart failure (e.g. recent hospital admission or severe symptoms).

Informed consent must be provided by the participant before enrolling in the study.

Ethics Committee Approval

Ethics committee approval has been granted by the Northern Sydney Local Health District [2025/STE02086].

Professor Peter Cistulli  

Dr Glenn Stewart

Dr Benjamin Tong

Dr Yu Sun Bin

Dr Anna Mohammadieh

Professor Andrew Chan

Dr Lu Fu

Ms Sally McClintock

Ms Joanne Flood