Respiratory Arrest (Apnea)

Respiratory arrest (ICD-10-GM R09.2: Respiratory arrest) or apnea is the cessation of external respiration for a greater or lesser length of time.

Respiratory arrest can last from a few seconds to several minutes and represents a life-threatening emergency situation.

The reasons for respiratory arrest are very diverse.

Causes include:

  • Mechanical causes:
    • Obstruction of the airway by foreign bodies (e.g., aspiration of stomach contents).
    • Strangulation
  • Diseases:
    • Diseases of the respiratory system
    • Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases.
    • Diseases of the cardiovascular system
    • Infectious and parasitic diseases
    • Nervous system
  • Trauma:
  • Medications or intoxications:
    • Alcohol intoxication
    • Barbiturates
    • Curare
    • Drug intoxication, not further defined
    • Narcotics
    • Opioids (opiates)
    • Poisonings, unspecified
  • Environmental pollution:
    • Carbon dioxide intoxication
    • Carbon monoxide intoxication

Respiratory arrest can be a symptom of many diseases (see under “Differential diagnoses”).

Course and prognosis: Regardless of the cause, respiratory arrest leads within a very short time to hypoxia (oxygen deficiency of the organism). The brain is most severely affected. Irreversible (irreversible) damage occurs after only three minutes.