Central Sleep Apnea Treated by CO2 Supplied by a Novel Device

In general, central sleep apnea is not as common as obstructive sleep apnea but it is common in patients with heart failure. It has been repeatedly shown that central sleep apnea worsens the prognosis of heart failure. The current concept in the development of CSA is hypocapnia which causes temporary cessation of respiratory neural output. Different methods for supplement of CO2 have been used to eliminate CSA. However, variation of CO2 concentration during overnight treatment and tight-fitting mask made the treatment uncomfortable. It is important to develop a device with a comfortable mask to supply constant low dose CO2 without breathing difficulty. We recently developed a device for treatment of CSA.