Pressure Ramp Testing for Optimization of End-Expiratory Pressure Settings in Adaptive Servo-Ventilation Therapy

Clinical outcomes of adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) therapy have not been rigorously assessed. Optimal device settings ascertained by a pressure ramp test may increase the utility of ASV therapy. Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) who underwent ASV therapy were prospectively included in the study. Patients in the ramp test group underwent a pressure ramp test, during which the end-expiratory pressure was optimized to maximize cardiac output (assessed using the AESCLONE mini). The control group consisted of age-matched patients who received ASV therapy with a default pressure 5 cmH₂O. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death and heart failure recurrence, and was compared between the 2 groups. Of a total of 37 patients, 11 each were included in the ramp test and control groups. Median patient age was 73 years (interquartile range 59-75 years) and 16 were men. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the 2 groups. In the ramp test group, end-expiratory pressure was optimized between 2 and 5 cmH₂O in each patient. The 2-year incidence of the primary endpoint tended to be lower in the ramp test than control group (0% vs. 59%; P=0.080). Pressure ramp testing may be a promising strategy to optimize device pressure settings in patients with CHF undergoing ASV therapy. Larger-scale trials are needed to validate our findings.