Model construction as a safer cardiac rehabilitation model with ASV therapy

This study investigated the effect of adaptive servo-ventilation (ASV) therapy as a part of the cardiac rehabilitation in patients with chronic heart failure, via improving QOL and exercise tolerance. First, we examined the correlation between impaired lung function or ventilatory response and sympathetic overactivation in patients with chronic heart failure, and revealed the mechanism that sympathetic nervous activity was enhanced in patients with impaired lung function. We also determined the relationship between sympathetic nerve activity and prognosis in the patients. In the last year, we focused on nutritional disorders related to the success or failure of cardiac rehabilitation, and examined the effect of ASV therapy on nutritional disorder. We found that ASV therapy improved nutritional status in associated with suppression of sympathetic nerve activity. Thus, ASV therapy might be a useful tool to lead success of cardiac rehabilitation in patients with chronic heart failure.