Central Apnea in Heart Failure: Physiological Mechanisms to Inform Treatment
Eligible age
18+ yrs
Accepts
All genders
Locations
1 state
Healthy volunteers
Yes
See if you qualify for this study
Answer a few quick questions about your location and health. Takes about a minute.
About this study
Central sleep apnea (CSA) is common in patients with heart failure and those using opioid analgesics. Unfortunately, effective treatment of central apnea remains elusive, pressure therapy given the modest efficiency of positive airway pressure therapy. The focus of this proposal is to identify mechanistic pathways to guide future therapeutic interventions for central sleep apnea based on the strong premise that multi-modality therapy will normalize respiration and hence mitigate adverse long-term consequences of CSA. The investigators' proposed studies will test combination therapies, including positive airway pressure (PAP) plus a pharmacological agent who have heart failure or are using opioid analgesics. The investigators anticipate that findings will inform future clinical trials to improve care and quality of life among Veterans suffering from central sleep apnea, which remains difficult to treat using existing approaches.
Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
You may qualify if…
- ✓ Men and women Veterans with central sleep apnea, defined as Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI)\>15/hour with CAHI\>5/hour, will be included with the experiments
- ✓ Those with chronic, stable heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, receiving stable optimized guideline-based therapy and no hospitalizations or change in the medical regimen for the past 90 days before enrollment
You may not qualify if…
- ✕ Pregnant or breastfeeding females
- ✕ Moderate or severe obstructive or restrictive lung disease, including supplemental oxygen (O2) use
- ✕ Current treatment for central sleep apnea (CSA), including any form of positive airway pressure (PAP) in the past three months, or phrenic nerve situation
- ✕ Too ill to engage in the study procedures, inability to provide consent for participation
- ✕ A history of cardiac arrhythmia
- ✕ Alcohol or substance abuse (less than 90 days sobriety) or current participation in a treatment program
- ✕ Depression or a history of suicidality
- ✕ Severe insomnia (ISI\>21) or reported short sleep duration (\<6 hours)
Where it's recruiting
Detroit
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · NCT07210606 · last updated 2026-10-13