Background: This study tested the hypothesis that adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) therapy improves the prognosis of heart failure (HF) patients, regardless of the severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).
Methods and results: 88 consecutive patients were divided into 4 groups based on ASV therapy and SDB severity. The incidence of HF, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were followed for 12 months. Fewer HF events, together with an increase in LVEF and a decrease in BNP, occurred in ASV-treated patients with both non-to-mild and moderate-to-severe SDB.
Conclusions: ASV therapy improves the short-term prognosis in HF-patients, regardless SDB severity.