Apnea, or respiratory arrest, occurs when the brain's drive to breathe is interrupted or the airways are blocked. Without intervention, respiratory arrest will be followed by cardiac arrest, and as such should be considered a medical emergency. According to the Merck Manual, when a patient stops breathing for more than five minutes, irreversible damage is done to the organs, particularly the brain. In addition, 8 to 30 percent of adults have some brain impairment after resuscitation.
Head Injury
According to the website Brain Injuries, 12, 000 to 15,000 people in the United States suffer severe brain injuries each year. Many die from these injuries, and approximately 10,000 are left paralyzed by the trauma. Traffic accidents, falls and physical assault can cause major head trauma. Males aged 15 to 35 are more likely to have a head injury than females in the same age group. Serious head injuries can cause bleeding of the ventricles of the brain or swelling of brain tissue. Excessive pressure from swelling can cause brain stem herniation and respiratory arrest. When people suffer mild concussions, they often lose consciousness and respiratory function ceases, albeit briefly.
Asthma
Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways. An asthma attack creates swelling and inflammation of the bronchial tubes that lead to the lungs. When the airways are inflamed and swollen, they become constricted, causing the patient to struggle for air. It is like breathing through a straw--the patient cannot get enough air into the lungs. According to a 2005 article published in the "Indian Journal of Critical Care," 100 to 150 million people worldwide suffer with asthma, and asthma is responsible for 180,000 deaths each year. Patients suffering a sudden asthma attack that rapidly progresses to airway obstruction usually come to the emergency room with hypercapnia, the inability to rid body of carbon dioxide, and hypoxia, the inability to get oxygen to the body. Without immediate intervention, respiratory arrest will follow.
Drug Overdose
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 47 million Americans used a prescription drug non-medically in 2003. Pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives are the drugs of choice for abusers. Opioids such as oxycontin, hydrocodone and oxycodone are known respiratory depressants. Adolescent abusers frequently mix these medications with alcohol, which increases the effects and can cause respiratory arrest.
References
- MedlinePlus: Head Injury
- Brain Injuries: Severe and Traumatic Brain Stem Injury
- The Merck Manual Online Medical Library: Respiratory Distress
- "Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine"; Acute Respiratory Failure in Asthma; Said H. Soubra, Kalapalatha K. Guntupalli; October/December 2005
- National Institute on Drug Abuse: Prescription Drugs and Abuse
