The ICU nurse notes a patient with massive head injuries has a pattern of breathing that shows rhythmic periods of changing rate and depth with brief periods of apnea. How would this be documented?

The ICU nurse notes a patient with massive head injuries has a pattern of breathing that shows rhythmic periods of changing rate and depth with brief periods of apnea. How would this be documented?

• A. Apneusis
• B. Ataxic
• C. Cheyne-Stokes
• D. Cluster

Answer: (C)

Cheyne-Stokes breathing is the pattern here. It shows rhythmic cycles where the depth and rate of breathing gradually increase (or crescendo) and then decrease (or decrescendo), followed by a brief period of apnea. This cyclical pattern repeats and is commonly seen with brain injuries or severe CNS or cardiac conditions, fitting a patient with massive head injuries.

Other patterns don’t match as well: apneusis features a prolonged inspiratory pause, not a regular crescendo–decrescendo cycle; ataxic (Biot) respiration is irregular and unpredictable in rate and depth with no pattern; cluster breathing occurs in groups of breaths followed by gaps.