Sleep Apnea and Auto Crashes: What Is the Doctor to Do?
Patients with obstructive sleep apnea are at increased risk for auto crashes. Controlled studies in both the United States1 and Canada2 have recently shown that patients with obstructive sleep apnea are involved in auto crashes approximately two and one half times more frequently than other licensed drivers. In a letter to the editor, George and colleagues2 showed that a group of 27 Canadian patients with the clinical diagnosis of sleep apnea had an automobile accident rate more than two-times greater than a control group of subjects.