FACE study: 2-year follow-up of adaptive servo-ventilation for sleep-disordered breathing in a chronic heart failure cohort

Background: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with worse prognosis. Objectives: This study evaluated the effects of adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) on morbidity and mortality in a large heterogeneous population of HF patients with different etiologies/phenotypes. Methods: Consecutive HF patients with predominant central sleep apnea (+/- obstructive sleep apnea) indicated for ASV were included; the control group included patients who refused or stopped ASV before three months followup. Six homogenous clusters were determined using the latent class analysis (LCA) method. The primary endpoint was time to composite first event (all-cause death, lifesaving cardiovascular intervention, or unplanned hospitalization for worsening of chronic HF). Results: Of 503 patients at baseline, 324 underwent 2-year follow-up. Compared to control group, 2-year primary endpoint event-free survival was significantly greater in patients in ASV group only in univariable analysis (1.67, 95% [1.12-2.49]; p = 0.01). Secondary endpoints, event-free of cardiovascular death or heart failure-related hospitalization and all-cause death or all-cause hospitalization were positively impacted by ASV (univariate and multivariable analysis). LCA identified two groups, with preserved and mid-range left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and severe hypoxia, in whom ASV increase prognosis benefit. Conclusions: Patients with HF and SDB are a highly heterogeneous group identified using LCA. Systematic deep phenotyping is essential to ensure that ASV is prescribed to those benefit from therapy, as ASV use in patients with severe hypoxic burden and those with HFpEF was associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular events and mortality. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01831128.