Cor Vasa 2023, 65(4):698-704 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2023.015

(Development of sleep apnea syndrome in a patient with heart failure before and after orthotopic heart transplant)

Lujza Zikmund Galková^{a, b}, Jiří Hlásenský^{b, c}, Lenka Špinarová^{a, b}, Petr Němec^d, Jiří Vítovec^{a, b, e}, Jan Krejčí^{a, b}

^a I. interní kardioangiologická klinika, Fakultní nemocnice u sv. Anny v Brně, Brno

^b Lékařská fakulta Masarykovy univerzity, Brno

^c Interní kardiologická klinika, Fakultní nemocnice Brno, Brno

^d Centrum kardiovaskulární a transplantační chirurgie Brno, Brno

^e Ústav farmakologie a toxikologie, Farmaceutická fakulta Masarykovy univerzity, Brno

This article shows different types of sleep apnea syndrome (SA) in a patient with severe heart failure before and after orthotopic heart transplant and the treatment of SA. Sleep apnea is an influenceable independent risk factor of cardiovascular diseases. Its main symptoms may be long-term fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness, cognitive deficit including impaired short-term memory and concentration disorder, behavioral disorders such as moodiness, aggressivity, the lack of motivation and so-called nocturnal symptoms: ronchopathy (snoring), frequent sleep arousals accompanied by gasping, nycturia, fragmentation of sleep, mouth dryness after awakening or morning headache. The diagnosis of SA is based on respiratory polygraphy or videopolysomnography. The treatment of SA consists in positive airway pressure ventilation therapy. SA may lead to the new development or progression of current cardiovascular diseases, and eventually, to the development of heart failure (HF) - clinical syndrome caused by functional or structural abnormalities leading to the failure of heart function. The prevalence of HF is on the rise in the Czech Republic and worldwide as well, despite the new development of efficient pharmacological therapies and non-pharmacological methods including the orthotopic heart transplant.

Keywords: Cheyne-Stokes respiration, Heart failure, Orthotopic heart transplant, Positive airway pressure therapy, Respiratory polygraphy, Sleep apnea, Videopolysomnography

Received: January 10, 2023; Revised: February 24, 2023; Accepted: February 28, 2023; Published: September 1, 2023  Show citation