Studies from the USA have reported that sleep apnoea is common in congestive heart failure (CHF), with Cheyne–Stokes respiration (CSR) being the most frequent type of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in these patients. Within the present study, the authors sought to assess the prevalence and type of SDB among CHF patients in Germany.

A total of 203 CHF patients participated in this prospective multicentre study. All patients were stable in New York Heart Association classes II and III and had a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40%. The patients were investigated by polygraphy and all data were centrally analysed. Patient enrolment was irrespective of sleep-related symptoms.

The majority of patients were male with a mean age of 65 yrs and hospitalised. Of the 203 patients, 145 (71%) had an apnoea/hypopnoea index >10·h–1, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) occurred in 43% (n = 88) and CSR in 28% (n = 57) of patients.

The prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing is high in patients with stable severe congestive heart failure from a European population. As sleep-disordered breathing may have a negative impact on the prognosis of congestive heart failure, a sleep study should be performed in every patient with congestive heart failure and a left ventricular ejection fraction of <40%. This diagnostic approach should probably be adopted for all of these patients irrespective of the presence of sleep-related symptoms.

R. Schulz¹, A. Blau², J. Bo"rgel³, H. W. Duchna⁴, I. Fietze², I. Koper⁵, R. Prenzel⁶, S. Scha"dlich⁷, J. Schmitt⁸,
S. Tasci⁹, S. Andreas¹⁰ for the working group “Kreislauf und Schlaf” of the German Sleep Society (DGSM)

¹ University of Giessen Lung Centre, Giessen, ² Charite’ University Hospital Berlin, Sleep Disorders Centre, Department of Cardiology/ Pulmonary Medicine, ³ Depts of Cardiology and ⁴ Pulmonary Medicine, Ruhr University Hospital-Bochum, Bochum, ⁵ Sana Hospital, Schleswig-Holstein, and ⁶ Pius Hospital, Niedersachsen, Oldenburg, ⁷ Department of Internal Medicine II, Hospital Martha-Maria Halle-Dolau, ⁸ Department of Internal Medicine III, Theresien Hospital, Mannheim, ⁹ Department of Cardiology/Pulmonary Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, and ¹⁰ Department of Cardiology/Pulmonary Medicine, University Hospital Gottingen, Gottingen, Germany.

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