PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Olaf Oldenburg
AU  - Britta Körber
AU  - Thomas Bitter
AU  - Thomas Fischbach
AU  - Dieter Horstkotte
TI  - Pulmonary diffusion capacity is not associated with severity of Cheyne-Stokes respiration in heart failure patients
DP  - 2012 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P449
VI  - 40
IP  - Suppl 56
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P449.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P449.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40
AB  - A recent study in severe heart failure (HF) patients indicates a possible pathophysiological role of an impaired pulmonary diffusion capacity and respiratory disturbance during sleep, especially the degree of Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR). Aim of the present study was to verify this hypothesis in a larger cohort of HF patients.In 87 patients (83 male, age 68 ± 9 years) with polysomnography confirmed and untreated CSR due to cardiac failure (NYHA ≥ II, LV-EF ≤45%), pulmonary diffusion capacity (TLCO and KCO) were prospectively investigated using the single-breath method. Apnoea-hypopnoea-index (AHI) was 38.0 ±14/h, LV-EF 34 ± 7%, TLCO 67 ± 17% of normal and alveolar-volume corrected diffusion capacity (KCO) 85 ± 20% of normal. Correlation analysis using Spearman rank order correlation revealed no significant correlation of AHI and TLCO (r = 0.071, p = 0.516) or AHI and KCO (0.019, p = 0.863).In our cohort of HF patients with untreated CSR no correlation of respiratory disturbance during sleep and pulmonary diffusion capacity was found. Thus, a significant role of an impaired pulmonary diffusion on CSR genesis seems to be unlikely.