The aims of our study were 1) to better characterize central periodic breathing during sleep (CPBS) and its clinical relevance in acute stroke, 2) to better define the role of brain damage in its pathogenesis. We included 74 consecutive patients admitted within 96 hours after stroke onset. Stroke severity at admission, stroke outcome at discharge and stroke topography were assessed. ECG and transesophageal echocardiography were performed. Nocturnal breathing was assessed with an ambulatory device the first night after admission. CPBS severity was represented as absolute time and percentage of recording time. Age was 63 +/- 13 (25-82), 49 (66 %) were male. Thirty (41 %) patients showed CPBS during >or= 10 % and 7 (9 %) during >or= 50 % of recording time. CPBS severity was associated with age (p = 0.017), stroke severity (p = 0.008), ECG abnormalities (p = 0.005) and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (p < 0.0001). CPBS severity was higher in patients with extensive hemispheric strokes (n = 6, p < 0.0001), and lower in patients with partial strokes involving the left insula (n = 5, p < 0.0001) and the mesencephalon (n = 5, p = 0.002). CPBS is frequent in acute ischemic stroke and is associated with older age, stroke severity/extension, and lower left ventricular function. The lower occurrence of CPBS in left insular and mesencephalic stroke suggests a major role of distinct brain areas in the modulation of respiratory phenomena accompanying acute stroke.
