Theophylline Therapy for Near-Fatal Cheyne-Stokes Respiration
Authors: Don D. Sin, T. Douglas Bradley
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1999)

Letters2 November 1999Theophylline Therapy for Near-Fatal Cheyne-Stokes RespirationDon D. Sin, MD, MPH and T. Douglas Bradley, MDDon D. Sin, MD, MPHUniversity of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada (Sin)University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada (Bradley) and T. Douglas Bradley, MDUniversity of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada (Sin)University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada (Bradley)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-131-9-199911020-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Pesek and colleagues (1) described abolition of near-fatal Cheyne-Stokes respiration by theophylline therapy. However, we believe that the use of the term "Cheyne-Stokes respiration" to describe their patient's respiratory disorder was not consistent with the known pathophysiology and clinical description of this term. Thus, the authors' findings are difficult to interpret.As the authors note, Cheyne-Stokes respiration is characterized by periodic breathing in which apneas or hypopneas alternate with hyperventilation, occurring in a crescendo-decrescendo pattern of tidal volume (1). However, this pattern of respiration was not apparent in the figures that were presented. Moreover, the patient had ...References1. Pesek CA, Cooley R, Narkiewicz K, Dyken M, Weintraub NL, Somers VK. Theophylline therapy for near-fatal Cheyne-Stokes respiration. A case report. Ann Intern Med. 1999;130:427-30. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Naughton M, Benard D, Tam A, Rutherford , Bradley TD. Role of hyperventilation in the pathogenesis of central sleep apneas in patients with congestive heart failure. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1993;148:330-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Bradley TD, Phillipson EA. Central sleep apnea. Clin Chest Med. 1992;13:493-505. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Wilcox I, McNamara SG, Dodd MJ, Sullivan CE. Ventilatory control in patients with sleep apnea and left ventricular dysfunction: comparison of obstructive and central sleep apnea. Eur Respir J. 1998;11:7-13. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Stevenson LW. Inotropic therapy for heart failure. N Engl J Med. 1998;339:1848-50. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada (Sin)University of Toronto; Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada (Bradley) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoTheophylline Therapy for Near-Fatal Cheyne–Stokes Respiration: A Case Report Catherine A. Pesek , Ryan Cooley , Krzysztof Narkiewicz , Mark Dyken , Neal L. Weintraub , and Virend K. Somers Theophylline Therapy for Near-Fatal Cheyne-Stokes Respiration Edgar J. Geigel and Alejandro D. Chediak Theophylline Therapy for Near-Fatal Cheyne-Stokes Respiration Virend K. Somers and Catherine Pesek Metrics Cited byDevice Therapy for Heart Failure 2 November 1999Volume 131, Issue 9Page: 713KeywordsBreathingDeath ratesHeart failureHypercapniaNeuropathyPhosphodiesterasesResearch laboratoriesRespirationSleep apneaTidal volume Issue Published: 2 November 1999 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 1999 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...