2006 Volume 70 Issue 9 Pages 1148-1154
Background Cheyne-Stokes respiration with central sleep apnea (CSR-CSA) in congestive heart failure (CHF) is generally considered a poor prognostic indicator, but treatment of CSR-CSA using an adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) device has been developed. This is the first evaluation of its use in the management of CSR-CSA in Japanese CHF patients. Methods and Results Four CHF patients with CSR-CSA that was unresponsive to conventional positive airway pressure (CPAP) underwent 3 nights of polysomnography: baseline, CPAP or bi-level PAP, and on the ASV. The apnea - hypopnea index (AHI) and central-AHI (CAHI) were markedly improved on ASV (AHI 62.7±10.1 to 5.9±2.2 /h, p=0.0006, CAHI 54.5±6.7 to 5.6±2.3 /h, p=0.007). In addition, the sleep quality improved significantly on ASV, including arousal index (62.0±10.5 to 18.7 ±6.2 /h, p=0.012), percentage of slow-wave sleep (2.6±2.6 to 19.4±4.8 %, p=0.042). Conclusions ASV markedly improved CSR-CSA in patients with CHF. It is a promising treatment for Japanese patients with CHF. (Circ J 2006; 70: 1148 - 1154)