Highlight
• Pulse oximetry may overestimate oxygen saturation in individuals with darker skin, leading to under-detection of sleep apnea events based on desaturation criteria.
• Self-identified Black participants had significantly fewer sleep apnea events detected by ≥4% oxygen desaturation compared to White participants, despite similar airflow-defined events.
• Heart-rate response during respiratory events (≥6 beats/min increase) detected comparable numbers of events across Black and White groups.
• Heart-rate-response-based event detection correlated with cardiovascular outcomes in both racial groups, unlike desaturation-based measures in Black individuals.
Study Background
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For clinical reference; use professional judgment.
