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Article: Why has central sleep apnea suddenly become so complex?(SLEEP MEDICINE)
- Article from:
- FOCUS: Journal for Respiratory Care & Sleep Medicine
- Article date:
- November 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Focus Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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There are patients who cannot breathe due to a variety of reasons, most of which are related to neuromuscular function that we call "apneic" or "centrally apneic." This condition can occur in people who are awake, as well as asleep. If these patients were in the right place at the right time (e.g. in the hospital or in the presence of someone willing and trained to give them mouth to mouth or rescue breathing) they might be lucky enough to end up on a mechanical ventilator until the underlying problem was treated and resolved. With the advent of sleep medicine technology and treatment it wasn't long before a "new" kind of central apnea was discovered in some sleeping ...