title: Carotid body removal for treatment of chronic systolic heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Augmented reflex response from peripheral chemoreceptors characterises chronic heart failure (CHF), contributes to autonomic imbalance and exercise intolerance and predicts poor outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We present a case of a 56-year-old male patient with ischaemic CHF, who underwent surgical, unilateral carotid body resection to reduce peripheral chemosensitivity. At 2-month and 6-month follow-ups, we document a persistent decrease in peripheral chemosensitivity accompanied by an improvement in exercise capacity, sleep disordered breathing and quality of life. Autonomic balance was favourably affected as evidenced by improved heart rate variability and augmented cardiac baroreflex sensitivity. There were no procedure-related adverse events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Denervation of a carotid body may offer a clinical strategy to restore autonomic balance and improve morbidity in heart failure (NCT01653821).
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Centre for Heart Disease, 4th Military Hospital, Wroclaw, Poland. Electronic address: pnsky@wp.pl.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Niewiński
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Janczak
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rucinski
authors.forename: Przemyslaw
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jazwiec
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Sobotka
authors.forename: Zoar J
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Engelman
authors.forename: Marat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fudim
authors.forename: Stanislaw
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tubek
authors.forename: Ewa A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Jankowska
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Banasiak
authors.forename: Emma C J
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Julian F R
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Paton
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ponikowski
mesh_terms: D002344:Carotid Body / Q000601:surgery*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D054143:Heart Failure, Systolic / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Autonomic imbalance; Carotid body chemoreceptors; Heart failure; Surgical resection