RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The aim of this study is to investigate the occurrence and mechanism of Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern in patients with heart failure.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-six patients who performed polusomnography sleep testing at National Center of Cardiovascular Diseases Fuwai Hospital from March to May in 2015. We divided them into chronic heart failure (CHF) group and non-CHF group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The occurrences of sleep apnea in two groups were high. In CHF group (n = 11) , there were 10 patients with apnea hypopnea index (AHI) > 5; and their AHI was 23.93 ±14.63. In non-CHF group (n = 45), there were 33 patients whose AHI > 5; and their AHI was 16.20 ± 18.76. The ratio of center sleep apnea to all gross sleep apnea ratio in CHF group was higher than that in non-CHF group (80.21% ± 30.55% vs 27.16% ± 35.71%, P < 0.01 ).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Based upon the new theory of holistic integrative physiology and medicine, we explain the mechanism of circulatory dysfunction induce the oscillation breathing in patients with CHF. The sleep apnea and C-S respiration in CHF should be called circulatory sleep apnea, rather than central sleep apnea.</p>