Christian Guilleminault
Encyclopedia
Doctor Christian Guilleminault is a physician and researcher in the field of sleep medicine
. Dr. Guilleminault, a French citizen, was persuaded to join the faculty at Stanford University
. He has been closely involved with many developments in sleep medicine from the 1970s until the present day. Guilleminault has authored over four hundred articles in peer-reviewed medical journal
s. He has won many awards for excellent quality of his research in the field of sleep medicine.
Guilleminault played a central role in the early discovery of obstructive sleep apnea
. During the mid 1970s, he wrote many articles which correctly explained the relationship between hypertension
and obstructive sleep apnea. While working at the Stanford University Sleep Disorders Clinic in 1975, Guilleminault became keenly interested in reports published by Italian sleep researcher Elio Lugaresi. Lugaresi had reported that nocturnal hypertension was present in patients who snored. Doctor Guilleminault persuaded Stanford cardiologists John Shroeder and Ara Tilkian to spend nights in the hospital's clinical research center
, to work on monitoring the systemic and pulmonary arterial blood pressure
in patients. The team observed that when patients fell asleep and began snoring, that they encountered apneas. They observed that a patient's blood pressure rose dramatically, as if the patient were lifting heavy weights.
Guilleminault published some papers which showed dramatic improvements when severe apnea patients were treated with tracheostomies. Prior to treatment patients had dramatic cardiac abnormalities during sleep. A completely normal heartbeat returned when the tracheostomy tube was opened. When the tube was closed again during sleep, the abnormalities returned.
Working in collaboration with Dr. William C. Dement
, Guilleminault established the Apnea-Hypopnea Index
(AHI) which is still in use today to diagnose sleep apnea and measure the degree of its severity.
Sleep medicine
Sleep medicine is a medical specialty or subspecialty devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of sleep disturbances and disorders. From the middle of the 20th century, research has provided increasing knowledge and answered many questions about sleep-wake functioning. The rapidly evolving field has...
. Dr. Guilleminault, a French citizen, was persuaded to join the faculty at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He has been closely involved with many developments in sleep medicine from the 1970s until the present day. Guilleminault has authored over four hundred articles in peer-reviewed medical journal
Medical journal
A public health journal is a scientific journal devoted to the field of public health, including epidemiology, biostatistics, and health care . Public health journals, like most scientific journals, are peer-reviewed...
s. He has won many awards for excellent quality of his research in the field of sleep medicine.
Guilleminault played a central role in the early discovery of obstructive sleep apnea
Sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during sleep. Each pause in breathing, called an apnea, can last from a few seconds to minutes, and may occur 5 to 30 times or more an hour. Similarly, each abnormally low...
. During the mid 1970s, he wrote many articles which correctly explained the relationship between hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
and obstructive sleep apnea. While working at the Stanford University Sleep Disorders Clinic in 1975, Guilleminault became keenly interested in reports published by Italian sleep researcher Elio Lugaresi. Lugaresi had reported that nocturnal hypertension was present in patients who snored. Doctor Guilleminault persuaded Stanford cardiologists John Shroeder and Ara Tilkian to spend nights in the hospital's clinical research center
Clinical research center
The term "Clinical research center" or "General clinical research center" refers to any designated medical facility used to conduct clinical research, such as at a hospital or medical clinic. They have been used to perform clinical trials of various medical procedures...
, to work on monitoring the systemic and pulmonary arterial blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
in patients. The team observed that when patients fell asleep and began snoring, that they encountered apneas. They observed that a patient's blood pressure rose dramatically, as if the patient were lifting heavy weights.
Guilleminault published some papers which showed dramatic improvements when severe apnea patients were treated with tracheostomies. Prior to treatment patients had dramatic cardiac abnormalities during sleep. A completely normal heartbeat returned when the tracheostomy tube was opened. When the tube was closed again during sleep, the abnormalities returned.
Working in collaboration with Dr. William C. Dement
William C. Dement
William Charles Dement is a pioneering US sleep researcher, and founder of the Sleep Research Center, the world's first sleep laboratory, at Stanford University. He is a leading authority on sleep, sleep deprivation, and the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea and...
, Guilleminault established the Apnea-Hypopnea Index
Apnea-hypopnea index
The apnea-hypopnea index is an index of sleep apnea severity that combines apneas and hypopneas. The apneas must last for at least 10 seconds and are associated with a decrease in blood oxygenation...
(AHI) which is still in use today to diagnose sleep apnea and measure the degree of its severity.