Cheyne-Stokes (CS) respiration is a particular form of central sleep apnea, being frequently associated with heart failure (HF). CS is characterized by alternation of apnea and crescendo–decrescendo type respiratory events. The main explanation of the phenomenon is the phase delay of respiratory centre stimuli and the marked oscillations of the blood gas levels. The prevalence of CS in systolic HF is 20-40%, being about 20% in HF with preserved ejection fraction. CS is related to the severity of HF and is an important marker of worse prognosis. The correction of CS in the setting of HF seems logical, but the negative findings of SERVE-HF trial, testing the value of adaptive servoventilation, set back for the moment the attempts in this direction.
Keywords: sleep apnea, Cheyne-Stokes respiration, heart failure