Central sleep apnea in patients with congestive heart failure.

Central apnea during sleep represents a manifestation of breathing instability in many clinical conditions of varied etiologies. Central apnea is the result of transient cessation of ventilatory motor output, which represents that inhibitory influences favoring instability predominate over excitatory influence favoring stable breathing. This article will review the determinants of central apnea, the specific features of CHF-related central apnea, and outline a management approach.