Variation in the Photoplethysmogram Response to Arousal From Sleep Depending on the Cause of Arousal and the Presence of Desaturation

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess how the photoplethysmogram frequency and amplitude responses to arousals from sleep differ between arousals caused by apneas and hypopneas with and without blood oxygen desaturations, and spontaneous arousals. Stronger arousal causes were hypothesized to lead to larger and faster responses. Methods and procedures: Photoplethysmogram signal segments during and around respiratory and spontaneous arousals of 876 suspected obstructive sleep apnea patients were analyzed. Logistic functions were fit to the mean instantaneous frequency and instantaneous amplitude of the signal to detect the responses. Response intensities and timings were compared between arousals of different causes. Results: The majority of the studied arousals induced photoplethysmogram responses. The frequency response was more intense (
${p} < 0.001$
) after respiratory than spontaneous arousals, and after arousals caused by apneas compared to those caused by hypopneas. The amplitude response was stronger (
${p} < 0.001$
) following hypopneas associated with blood oxygen desaturations compared to those that were not. The delays of these responses relative to the electroencephalogram arousal start times were the longest (
${p} < 0.001$
) after arousals caused by apneas and the shortest after spontaneous arousals and arousals caused by hypopneas without blood oxygen desaturations. Conclusion: The presence and type of an airway obstruction and the presence of a blood oxygen desaturation affect the intensity and the timing of photoplethysmogram responses to arousals from sleep. Clinical impact: The photoplethysmogram responses could be used for detecting arousals and assessing their intensity, and the individual variation in the response intensity and timing may hold diagnostically significant information.