Cheyne-Stokes respiration in heart failure: Only provocative pathophysiology will provide new insights!

Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) - a type of periodic breathing characterised by periods of hyperventilation (crescendo-decrescendo pattern) that alternate with central apneas - is highly prevalent in patients with systolic heart failure (HF) [1 –3]. CSR has been hypothesised to further increase sympathetic drive and stroke volume, thus exerting detrimental effects if left untreated [4]. At least, this is what most people thought prior to publication of the SERVE-HF trial in 2015 [5]. This trial enrolled more than 1300 patients with systo lic HF and central sleep apnea who were randomly assigned to adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) added to guideline-based medical therapy compared with guideline-based medical therapy alone (control) [5].
Source: International Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research