2012 Volume 76 Issue 10 Pages 2305-2317
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) with predominant obstructive or central sleep apnea (OSA/CSA) with Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) is a common, but underestimated and underappreciated, comorbidity in patients with heart failure (HF). Regardless of the type of HF (systolic or diastolic) or its etiology (ischemic, non-ischemic, valvular etc), the prevalence of SDB is remarkably high in this patient group, at 70–76%. Even more so in HF than in the general population, OSA and CSA in particular are independently associated with an impaired prognosis. This review details the pathophysiology of CSA-CSR in HF, highlights the challenges and tools available for diagnosis, explains the concept of adaptive servoventilation (ASV) therapy, and summarizes the existing literature on the use of ASV therapy in HF patients in general and HF with reduced ejection fraction in particular. (Circ J 2012; 76: 2305–2317)
