Treatment of obstructive and central sleep apnoea in heart failure: practical options

Sleep apnoea, both central and obstructive disordered breathing, commonly occurs in patients with heart failure. Obstructive sleep apnoea occurs both in systolic and diastolic heart failure and is best treated with nasal positive airway pressure devices. Central sleep apnoea occurs primarily in systolic heart failure and therapeutic options are evolving. Optimal therapy of systolic heart failure, nocturnal use of supplemental oxygen, theophylline, acetazolamide and positive airway pressure devices have been shown to improve central sleep apnoea. Among these therapeutic modalities only continuous positive airway pressure has been studied in a long-term trials; unfortunately, it failed to improve survival.