Delayed recovery from Cheyne-Stokes respiration in heart failure after successful cardiac transplantation: a case report

Abstract

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), especially central sleep apnea with Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSA-CSR), is highly prevalent in patients with severe heart failure (HF). SDB, and predominantly CSR, may improve after recovery of cardiac function, but available data are limited and inconclusive, particularly in patients who have undergone heart transplantation (HTX).

Case report: The case of a 59-year-old man with dilated cardiomyopathy and advanced chronic HF, plus CSA-CSR, is reported. The patient showed normalization of cardiac function after successful HTX, with delayed but gradual stepwise improvements in CSA-CSR over time.

Conclusions: Although there is a close relationship between cardiac function and manifestations of SDB and CSA-CSR, stabilization of nocturnal respiration after improvement in cardiac function may be delayed rather than immediate.