ResMed to Study Effects of CSA Treatment on Heart Failure Patients

POWAY, Calif.–ResMed said last week it has launched an
international study to investigate the impact of central sleep
apnea treatment on patients with heart failure.

Announced at the 18th European Respiratory Society’s
annual congress in Berlin, the SERVE-HF study is the largest of its
kind, the company said. During the four-year study, physicians will
examine the long-term benefits and cost-effectiveness of the
breathing support provided by ResMed’s AutoSet CSTM2 for the
treatment of patients with chronic heart failure.

Up to 76 percent of patients with heart failure also suffer from
sleep-disordered breathing, and about two-thirds of those patients
have CSA, according to a ResMed release. CSA is characterized by
periods of shallower breathing, known as hypopnea, as well as
periods when breathing is halted altogether, known as apnea. The
respiratory changes are caused by a disorder of respiratory control
mechanisms, different from obstructive sleep apnea, where the
respiratory events are caused by an increased collapsibility of the
upper airway, the company explained.

ResMed’s AutoSet CSTM2 is a ventilator that monitors
breathing and, in a process known as adaptive servo-ventilation,
takes into consideration breathing rate and the amount of air
inhaled and exhaled. When the device detects any changes in either
of these factors, it helps maintain normal breathing.

“The SERVE-HF study is designed to give clinicians the
important information they need to better manage the significant
number of heart failure patients who experience sleep-disordered
breathing,” said Professor Helmut Teschler, medical director at the
Department of Pneumology, Ruhrland Clinic, Essen, Germany. “The
contribution of the AutoSet CS 2 device in the management of such
disorders will also become much clearer.”

The researchers plan to recruit 1,260 heart failure patients at
80 clinics across Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Norway,
Sweden, Denmark and the United States.

Sleep-related breathing disorders affect approximately 5 percent
of women and 10 percent of men between the ages of 20 and 60,
ResMed said. However, up to 95 percent of those with sleep apnea
have not been diagnosed and treated for their condition.

The study will also provide researchers with information on the
effect of heart failure on key factors such as hospitalization,
quality of life and the ability to exercise, according to the
release.