Treatment for Heart Patients with Sleep Apnea

Australian researchers have demonstrated that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for moderately obstructive sleep apnea in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) helped to improve systolic function.

The CPAP treatment also reduced oxygen deficiency in the blood, lessened sympathetic nerve activity, and enhanced the quality of life. Compared to 21 control patients without treatment, patients who had CPAP treatment showed significant improvements after three months of treatment. Earlier studies have suggested that the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in CHF patients is 25-30%. In the 19 treated patients, CPAP treatment was associated with a 5% increase in left-ventricular ejection fraction, which is similar or greater than that shown in trials of pharmacologic intervention. In addition, the treatment reduced overnight levels of a heart stimulant called norepinephrine, and improved quality of life. The treatment did not reduce either severe breathlessness or exercise capacity.

The research was conducted by Darren R. Mansfield, M.D., and colleagues at the Alfred Hospital, Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), and the Baker Heart Institute, also in Melbourne. The study was published in the February 1, 2004, issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.




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