[Relationship between chronic congestive heart failure and sleep-disordered breathing in elderly patients].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in elderly patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) and explore the relations between SDB and left ventricular function.


METHODS
By means of polysomnography, 56 elderly patients with CHF were divided into non-SDB, mild SDB, moderate SDB, and severe SDB groups, and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measure by (99)Tc equilibrium radionuclide angiography.


RESULTS
In the 56 elderly patients with CHF, 38 (67.9%) had SDB, including 12 (21.4%) mild SDB, 14 (25.0%) moderate SDB, and 12 (21.4%) severe SDB patients. Thirty (53.6%) of the 56 patients with CHF had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), 4 (7.1%) had central sleep apnea and 22 (39.2%) had mixed sleep apnea. The moderate and severe SDB groups had lower minimum arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation during sleep than the non-SDB groups, and the apnea-hyponea index was closely related to LVEF (r=-0.74, P<0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of SDB, predominantly OSA, is high in elderly patients with CHF. Moderate and severe SDB might affect the left ventricular function in these patients, who require polysomnography monitoring.
Liu
Hui-xia
HX
Guangdong Provincial Geriatics Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangzhou 510080, China. liuhuixia89@21cn.com
Huang
Ping
P
Chen
Yong-chi
YC
Zhuo
Sheng-qing
SQ
Zhong
Zhi-an
ZA
Yang
Hui-jian
HJ
Ou
Qiong
Q
Cen
Rui-jin
RJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000503:physiopathology*