Improvement of cheyne-stokes respiration, central sleep apnea and congestive heart failure by noninvasive bilevel positive pressure and medical treatment.

A 57-year-old man was admitted with dyspnea. Clinical evaluation revealed atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure (CHF). Standard medical therapy of CHF failed to completely improve the dyspnea and polysomnography revealed Cheyne-Stokes respiration with central sleep apnea (CSR-CSA). He was equipped with noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) with bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP). The combined therapy of medical treatment of the CHF and administration of NPPV with BiPAP reduced the CSR-CSA. This regimen resulted in marked improvement of cardiac function, evaluated by echocardiography, and reduction of plasma concentration of brain natriuretic peptide. After the patient recovered from CHF and was discharged from hospital, he continued to use NPPV with BiPAP at home. In patients with CHF, it is important to be aware of sleep-related breathing disorders because treatment will not only improve the hypoxemia, but also the cardiac dysfunction.