[Therapy of Cheyne-Stokes respiration with nocturnal oxygen therapy]

Cheyne-Stokes respiration is common in patients with severe congestive heart failure and is associated with significant nocturnal oxygen desaturation and sleep disruption. The pathogenesis of Cheyne-Stokes respiration in patients with congestive heart failure has been well described and is related to prolonged circulation time between the lung and the carotid body mainly due to increased cardiac dimensions, reduced body stores of oxygen and carbon dioxide, disturbance of ventilation and respiratory control due to arousals and a relatively high hypercapnic ventilatory response. Oxygen is likely to reduce Cheyne-Stokes respiration by increasing oxygen and carbon dioxide stores and reduces the hypercapnic ventilatory response. In the following paper we describe a study designed to determine the impact of nasal nocturnal oxygen on Cheyne-Stokes respiration, sleep, peak oxygen consumption during bicycle exercise, cognitive function evaluated by the trailmaking test and daytime symptoms in patients with severe congestive heart failure. The study is designed as a randomized, cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled protocol on about 20 patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction < 35%.