- There is a distinct pattern of periodic breathing in systolic heart failure in that the breathing cycle has long crescendo/decrescendo arms, as a result of a long arterial circulation time, a pathophysiologic feature of systolic heart failure. This pattern of periodic breathing is referred to as Cheyne-Stokes breathing.
- Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a highly prevalent syndrome; it is estimated that about 5 to 6 million Americans, about 2% of the population, and 10% of those more than 65 years of age have heart failure. The approximate annual incidence is 500,000 people..
- More than 5% of the national health care budget dollars are spent on CHF.
- Despite recent advances in management of heart failure, the 30-day, 1-year, and 5-year mortality rates after hospitalization for heart failure are 10%, 22%, and 42%, respectively.
- CHF results in approximately 300,000 deaths each year.
- Because heart failure is highly prevalent and central sleep apnea is common in the setting of the failing heart, heart failure is the most common cause of central sleep apnea in the general population. It is estimated that approximately 31% of patients with CHF have CSA.
