ASV treatment for sleep-disordered breathing with heart failure : an application in a home care setting

Abstract

Introduction : We report the effect of adaptive servo ventilation (ASV) treatment on heart failure in a home care setting.
Methods : For eight home care patients aged ≥75 with heart failure, we diagnosed sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) by using a simplified monitor and implemented ASV treatment. We assessed its effect on heart failure by using NT-proBNP. We also assessed its effects on SDB by using apnea hypopnea index (AHI).
Results : Three patients dropped out because they felt fear of putting on the mask. Among the other five patients, we observed a significant decrease rate of NT-proBNP (mean : -0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) : -0.64, -0.22) after the ASV treatment. With regard to AHI, we observed a decreasing tendency (mean : -20.4 /hour, 95% CI : -41.2/hour, 0.4/hour).
Conclusion : This study suggests that ASV treatment is effective for a treatment of heart failure in a home care setting.