periodic breathing occurs when the breath pauses for up to 10 seconds at a time
may be several such pauses close together, followed by a series of rapid, shallow breaths
then the breathing returns to normal
a common condition in premature babies in the first few weeks of life. Even healthy full-term babies sometimes have spells of periodic breathing. It usually occurs when the infant is sleeping deeply, but may occur with light sleep or even when awake
a review noted that this condition is very common in preterm babies, especially during sleep, and associated with a decreased response from the respiratory centre (2)
managed by slightly raising the O2 levels whilst avoiding oxygen toxicity, using saturation monitoring
periodic breathing is not the same as 'apnoea'
apnoea occurs when breathing stops for at least 20 seconds
infant may become limp. There may be a change in skin color (such as blue or pale color around the mouth) and a drop in heart rate before the baby starts breathing normally again
sometimes the baby must be stimulated to restart breathing
a baby with periodic breathing will always restart normal breathing on its own
no stimulation is required
although this can be alarming to the parents, it is a harmless condition and it will go away as the baby gets older
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