Background
Carvedilol may reduce the severity of
central sleep apnea (CSA) in patients with chronic
heart failure (CHF). Methods and Results This study prospectively examined the effect of
carvedilol on the severity of CSA in patients with CHF. Polysomnographic findings, left ventricular (LV) function, and plasma
brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level were evaluated before and 6 months after induction of
carvedilol in 16 patients with CHF (New York Heart Association functional class II or III and LV ejection fraction <50%) who had CSA (
central apnea index [CAI] >5 with dominant central apneic events). All patients tolerated
carvedilol. The 6-month treatment with
carvedilol increased the LV ejection fraction (32+/-7.4% to 45+/-9.8%, P<0.001) and decreased the BNP level (159 [69-458] pg/ml to 38 [16-193] pg/ml, P=0.017). The polysomnographic findings showed that the treatment decreased the
apnea-hypopnea index (34+/-13 to 14+/-13, P=0.003) and CAI (13+/-11 to 1.9+/-4.3, P<0.001), whereas it increased the obstructive
apnea index (1.1+/-1.5 to 3.1+/-3.4, P=0.04). Conclusion This preliminary study shows that treatment with
carvedilol reduces the severity of CSA in patients with CHF, but that episodes of
obstructive sleep apnea sometimes increase after the treatment.