Sleep apnea in patients with heart failure: could cardiac resynchronization therapy be the first line treatment?
Adaptive servo-ventilation as well as continuous and bi-level positive airway pressure seems to effectively treat sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and to improve left ventricular function. However, no randomized data show a significant impact of ventilation on survival in patients with CHF. By contrast, there is overwhelming evidence that cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) improves outcomes in patients with CHF. CRT also provides a clinically significant decrease in SAS severity in patients with CHF. Consequently, CRT eligibility criteria should always be searched for in patients with severe CHF having SAS.
Girerd
Nicolas
N
Depagne
Corinne
C
Nesme
Pascale
P
Bourdin
Gaël
G
Magne
Julien
J
D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000379:methods*; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020182:Sleep Apnea, Central / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left