Sleep therapy could help certain heart failure patients, ResMed study shows

SAN DIEGO - Further study is needed to determine how using adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) therapy to treat sleep-disordered breathing helps people who have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, according to a study published March 20 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The overall results of the study were neutral, but they showed a statistical significant improvement in the primary endpoint for people with moderate to severe sleep-disordered breathing and this type of heart failure, ResMed stated in a press release. The primary endpoint was cardiovascular outcomes measured as a Global Rank Score that included survival free from cardiovascular hospitalization and change in functional capacity as measured by the six-minute walk distance. The study also assessed changes in functional parameters, arrhythmias, biomarkers, quality of life, and sleep and breathing. Leading cardiologists say the improvement for these patients signals a potential breakthrough in treatment, according to ResMed. "There are no recommended therapies specific for HFpEF patients, which accounts for half of all people living with chronic heart failure," said Dr. Christopher O'Connor, the study's lead investigator, a cardiologist and CEO of the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute. "These results from CAT-HF suggest we need to further study the role of whether addressing sleep-disordered breathing can help people who have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction." The study, the "Cardiovascular Outcomes With Minute Ventilation-Targeted Adaptive Servo-Ventilation Therapy in Heart Failure - The CAT-HF Trial," is a multicenter, randomized, controlled Phase II trial funded by ResMed to broaden the understanding of how best to treat diagnosed sleep apnea in patients that also have a particular form of heart failure.