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Agonal respiration

 

 
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Agonal respiration is an abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by shallow, slow (3-4 per minute), irregular inspirations followed by irregular pauses. It may also be characterized by gasping, labored breathing, accompanied by strange vocalizations and myoclonus
Myoclonus

Myoclonus is brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles. It describes a medical sign and, generally, is not a diagnosis of a disease....
. Possible causes include cerebral ischemia, extreme hypoxia
Hypoxia (medical)

Hypoxia is a Pathology condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise....
 or even anoxia. Agonal breathing is an extremely serious medical sign requiring immediate medical attention, as the condition generally progresses to complete apnea
Apnea

Apnea, apnoea, or apn?a is a technical term for suspension of external respiration . During apnea there is no movement of the muscles of respiration and the volume of the lungs initially remains unchanged....
 and heralds death
Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
.

The term is sometimes (inaccurately) used to refer to labored, gasping breathing patterns accompanying organ failure (e.g.






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Agonal respiration is an abnormal pattern of breathing characterized by shallow, slow (3-4 per minute), irregular inspirations followed by irregular pauses. It may also be characterized by gasping, labored breathing, accompanied by strange vocalizations and myoclonus
Myoclonus

Myoclonus is brief, involuntary twitching of a muscle or a group of muscles. It describes a medical sign and, generally, is not a diagnosis of a disease....
. Possible causes include cerebral ischemia, extreme hypoxia
Hypoxia (medical)

Hypoxia is a Pathology condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise....
 or even anoxia. Agonal breathing is an extremely serious medical sign requiring immediate medical attention, as the condition generally progresses to complete apnea
Apnea

Apnea, apnoea, or apn?a is a technical term for suspension of external respiration . During apnea there is no movement of the muscles of respiration and the volume of the lungs initially remains unchanged....
 and heralds death
Death

Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a life organism. It refers to both a particular event and to the condition that results thereby....
.

The term is sometimes (inaccurately) used to refer to labored, gasping breathing patterns accompanying organ failure (e.g. liver failure
Liver failure

Acute liver failure is the appearance of severe complications rapidly after the first signs of liver disease , and indicates that the liver has sustained severe damage ....
 and renal failure
Renal failure

Renal failure or kidney failure is a situation in which the kidneys fail to function adequately. It is divided in acute and chronic forms; either form may be due to a large number of other medical problems....
), SIRS
Systemic inflammatory response syndrome

In medicine, systemic inflammatory response syndrome is an inflammation of the whole body without a proven source of infection....
, septic shock
Septic shock

Septic shock is a serious medicine condition caused by decreased tissue perfusion and oxygen delivery as a result of infection and sepsis, though the microbe may be systemic or localized to a particular site....
, and metabolic acidosis
Metabolic acidosis

In medicine, metabolic acidosis is a process which if unchecked leads to acidemia, i.e. blood pH is low due to increased production of hydrogen by the body or the inability of the body to form bicarbonate in the kidney....
, or in general any labored breathing, including Biot's respirations and ataxic respirations. Correct usage would restrict the term to the last breaths before death.

Agonal respirations are also commonly seen in cases of cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest

A cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest or circulatory arrest, is the abrupt cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively during Systole ....
, and may persist for several minutes after cessation of heartbeat. The presence of agonal respirations in these cases indicates a more favorable prognosis than in cases of cardiac arrest without agonal respirations.

Agonal respiration is not the same as, and is unrelated to, the phenomenon of death rattle
Death rattle

A death rattle is a gurgling or rattle-like noise produced shortly before or after death by the accumulation of excessive respiratory secretions in the throat....
.

External links

  • , Resuscitation. 2003 Jan;56(1):25-34.