Death during polysomnography of a patient with cheyne-stokes respiration, respiratory acidosis, and chronic heart failure.

A patient with chronic heart failure and chronic respiratory failure (CRF) underwent ambulatory polysomnography at home. She was found dead on the morning after the recording. The tracings confirmed severe sleep apnea syndrome. After 8 h of incessant Cheyne-Stokes respiration during sleep, respiratory arrest occurred, followed 7 min later by asystole. This report illustrates a case of respiratory drive failure during sleep as the mode of death in a patient with heart failure, sleep apnea syndrome, and CRF.