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Updated: May 27, 2026

Tachycardia-Induced Cardiomyopathy As a Chronic Heart Failure Model in Swine
Published on: February 17, 2018
[Sleep disordered breathing and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia in patients with chronic heart failure]
Ulrich Koehler1, Sandra Apelt, Werner Cassel
1Klinik für Innere Medizin, SP Pneumologie, Intensiv- und Schlafmedizin, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany. koehleru@staff.uni-marburg.de
Background:
Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) have a high incidence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB). It is assumed that patients with the combination of CHF and SDB have more ventricular couplets and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) than patients without SDB.
Methods:
In 63 patients, 49 men and 14 women with chronic heart failure (EF < 45%), all-night polysomnography and long-term-ECG were performed. Mean age was 59 ± 15 years, mean BMI 27 ± 5 kg/m(2). 56% had an ischemic, 44% a nonischemic heart disease. 51% had heart insufficiency classification NYHA III.
Results:
42 of the 63 patients (67%) had sleep disordered breathing (SDB) with an AHI ≥5/h. In 24 patients (38%) SDB was central, in 18 (29%) obstructive. More patients with SDB than patients without SDB had NSVT (50% vs. 19%). Nocturnal frequency of NSVT in patients with SDB was about twice as high as the rate observed during daytime (0.48/h vs. 0.21/h). In patients without SDB there was no relevant difference between day and night (0.23/h vs. 0.21/h). AHI correlated with NSVT (r = 0.329, p < 0.01). Day/night comparison of couplets was 2.3/h vs. 1.9/h in SDB patients and 2.0/h vs. 1.6/h in patients without SDB.
Conclusions:
Patients with chronic heart failure have a high prevalence of SDB. The combination of CHF and SDB predisposes for nocturnal malignant ventricular arrhythmias.
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