Cheyne-Stokes respiration

Cheyne-Stokes respiration (also known as periodic breathing) is an abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by periods of breathing with gradually increasing and decreasing tidal volume interspersed with the brain to compensate quickly for changing serum partial pressure of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

This abnormal pattern of breathing can be seen in patients with strokes, head injuries or brain tumors, and in patients with congestive heart failure. In some instances, it can occur in otherwise normal people during sleep at high altitudes, where it is an important sign of altitude sickness. It can occur in all forms of toxic-metabolic encephalopathy.^[1] It is a symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning, along with syncope or coma. Hospice personnel often note the presence of Cheyne-Stokes breathing as a patient nears death, and report that patients able to speak after such episodes do not report any distress associated with the breathing, although it is sometimes disturbing to the family. This type of respiration is also often seen after morphine administration.

Cheyne-Stokes respirations are not the same as Biot's respirations ("cluster breathing"), where groups of breaths tend to be similar in size. They differ from Kussmaul respirations in that the Kussmaul pattern is one of consistent very deep breathing at a decreased or normal rate.

References

1. ^ The Diagnosis of Stupor and Coma by Plum and Posner, ISBN 0195138988

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