Cheyne Stokes Breathing

The following example shows a sequence of images in a pressure support mode.

In the first image, the pressure-time scalar shows a progressive increase in the inspiratory pressure drop during the trigger phase, indicating increasing patient inspiratory effort. Correspondingly, there is an increase in both peak inspiratory flow and tidal volume.

Over the next few breaths, a gradual reduction in inspiratory effort is observed, reflected by decreasing peak inspiratory flow and tidal volumes, eventually progressing to a period of apnea in the third image.

This waxing and waning pattern of respiratory effort followed by apnea is characteristic of Cheyne- Stokes breathing. In this case, the patient was admitted with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure, a well recognized cause of Cheyne- Stokes respiration.