Does continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improve symptoms and cardiac findings in a patient with ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and Cheyne-Stokes respiration?
Long-term CPAP treatment can effectively eliminate Cheyne-Stokes respiration and improve clinical and echocardiographic findings in patients with ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.
An 81-year-old man with ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy complained of frequently awakening from sleep due to choking; subsequent polysomnography revealed Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) with sleep apnea. With continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) through a nasal mask, both the CSR and symptoms disappeared. After 6-12 months, chest X-ray and echocardiographic findings continued to improve without any change in pharmacological treatment. For three years, CPAP had been effective to eliminate CSR during sleep. Long-term CPAP treatment, which is rarely applied for congestive heart failure in Japan, is useful in alleviating the adverse effects of CSR and, thereby, maintaining a good quality of life in these patients.
Yasuma et al. (Mon,) studied this question.
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