ENLmedical.com: Conditions And Concerns: Medical Encyclopedia: Breathing absent temporarily

Breathing absent temporarily

Considerations:
Apnea is a life-threatening disorder that requires immediate medical attention.

In children, the most common cause of cardiac arrest (lack of an effective heartbeat) is respiratory arrest. In adults, the opposite occurs; cardiac arrest leads to respiratory arrest.

Common Causes:

breath-holding spells
head or brain stem injury
near-drowning
foreign object aspiration or ingestion
drug overdose (see drug abuse first aid )
cardiac arrest
bronchospasm ( asthma )
sleep apnea
premature infant
bronchiolitis
drugs such as alcohol, anesthetics, anticholinesterase inhibitors, barbiturates, curariform drugs (with aminoglycosides), diazepam (with CNS depressants ) and narcotic analgesics

Note: There may be other causes of apnea. This list is not all inclusive, and the causes are not presented in order of likelihood. The causes of this symptom can include unlikely diseases and medications. Furthermore, the causes may vary based on age and gender of the affected person, as well as on the specific characteristics of the symptom such as quality, time course, aggravating factors, relieving factors, and associated complaints. Use the Symptom Analysis option to explore the possible explanations for apnea, occurring alone or in combination with other problems.

Home Care:
If a person has stopped breathing, emergency measures should be taken, and call for emergency help! Also see the information on CPR under the Injuries heading.

Call Your Healthcare Provider If:

there is any interruption in spontaneous breathing. This is an emergency! Call 911 and begin CPR if breathing has stopped.

What to Expect:
In an emergency room or by an ambulance EMT (emergency medical technician), CPR or other emergency measures will be provided.

Once the patient is in a stable state, the medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting absent breathing in detail may include:

time pattern
- Has this ever happened before?
- How long did the event last?
- Has the person had repeated, brief episodes of apnea?
- Did the episode end (terminate) with a sudden deep snorting breath?
recent heath history
- Has there been any recent history of an accident or injury?
- Has the person been ill recently?
other
- Does the person use street drugs?
- What medication does the person take?
- Has there been any breathing difficulty ?
- What other symptoms are also present?

A general physical examination will be performed, including listening for the heart sounds and breath sounds . The heart and lungs will be monitored. Diagnostic tests will be determined by the results of history and physical examination data.

Diagnostic tests that may be performed are:

After seeing your health care provider:
You may want to add a diagnosis related to apnea to your personal medical record.

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is an important procedure for everyone to know. It has been responsible for saving many lives and can often sustain life until emergency medical care arrives.

CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, is an important procedure for everyone to know. It has been responsible for saving many lives and can sustain life until emergency medical care arrives.