Apneas and oscillation of cardiac ectopy in Cheyne-Stokes breathing during sleep.

Previous investigators have described heart rate oscillations (1,2) and various arrhythmias (3-5) during Cheyne-Stokes breathing. To our knowledge, however, this is the first report describing cardiac ectopic beats oscillating with the identical frequency as ventilatory movement and SaO2 in Cheyne-Stokes breathing during sleep. This case is also the first to document with polygraphic sleep recordings the suggested efficacy of acetazolamide (26) in abolishing the apneas of Cheyne-Stokes breathing during sleep. However, generalizations regarding the impact of ventilation on cardiac ectopy and the therapeutic effect of acetazolamide will require prospective studies on multiple patients with Cheyne-Stokes breathing during sleep.