Cheyne-Stokes Breathing Pattern

Additional Breathing Patterns

• Hyperpnea is a breathing pattern that is faster and deeper than normal, often seen after exercise when O2 consumption and CO2 production increase.
• Abnormal hyperpnea can be caused by pathologies, especially sepsis, and is known as Kussmaul's breathing when caused by diabetic ketoacidosis.

Agonal Breathing

• Agonal breathing is a pattern of very slow (3-4 per minute) and very shallow inspirations followed by long irregular periods of apnea.
• Agonal breathing is often seen in patients nearing death and is usually caused by cerebral ischemia due to extreme hypoxia or anoxia.

Apneustic Breathing

• Apneustic breathing is characterized by deep inspiratory gasps held for some seconds before expiration.
• Apneusis is caused by damage to the apneustic center in the pons of the medulla, which acts as a "cut off switch" to control the depth of inspiration.

Cheyne-Stokes Breathing

• Cheyne-Stokes breathing is a pattern of regular cycles of breaths that begin shallowly, increase in depth, and reach a peak before diminishing.
• Each cycle is followed by a period of apnea.
• Cheyne-Stokes breathing is seen in patients with stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, and congestive heart failure (CHF).
• CHF reduces blood flow to the brain, causing a lag between arterial PaCO2 changes and the medullary response.

Biot's Respiration

• Biot's respiration, also called cluster breathing or ataxic breathing, is characterized by groups of quick shallow inspirations followed by long, irregular periods of apnea.
• Biot's breathing differs from Cheyne-Stokes in that the inspired volumes have depths that are fairly consistent.
• Biot's breathing is often seen in patients with increased intracranial pressure due to damage to the medulla or pressure on the medulla from herniation.