central sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by the absence of breathing while asleep
that is caused by a medullary depression that inhibits an inspiratory effort
we created this video to cover the medical definition and provide a
brief overview of this topic so if you're ready let's get into it
in general sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by repeated episodes
without breathing while asleep that lasts for at least 10 seconds or longer
it has been estimated to affect around 25 of the population between the ages of 30 and 70 years old
many of which often go undiagnosed there are two types of sleep apnea obstructive and central
obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type which occurs due to a blockage of the upper airway
and is often related to obesity however for this video we're focusing on the other type
which is central sleep apnea while both types refer to the cessation of breathing while asleep
central sleep apnea occurs due to a loss of neurologic output from the respiratory center in
the brain it is characterized by a lack of drive to breathe during sleep in which the patient does
not make any breathing efforts it's different from obstructive sleep apnea because with that type
breathing efforts are being made by the patient but the air flow is blocked in the back of the
throat in central sleep apnea the apnea periods aren't caused by a blocked airway instead they
occur because the portion of the brain that controls breathing isn't functioning properly
this results in no respiratory effort insufficient ventilation and compromised
gas exchange some examples of the causes of central sleep apnea include a stroke muscular
dystrophy gilean bray syndrome als congestive heart failure chronic opiate use and congenital
abnormalities such as chiari malformation or congenital central hypoventilation syndrome
a diagnosis for central sleep apnea can be made by using a sleep study also known as polysomnography
it records the patient's brain activity eye movements muscle activity and heart rhythm
during sleep the treatment for central sleep apnea involves caring for the underlying issue
that may be causing the condition non-invasive ventilation machines can be used while the patient
is sleeping in order to reduce the periods of apnea this includes both bipap and cpap devices
supplemental oxygen may be indicated as well again for this video we just wanted to provide you with
a brief overview of this topic we'll be breaking it down into much more detail in a separate video
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just a quick reminder we are not doctors this video is for educational and informational
purposes only and if you want to dive deeper and learn more about this topic
you can go to respiratorytherapyzone.com where we
have a ton of free study guides practice questions and other helpful resources
i'll drop links to everything you need right below this video down in the description thank you so
much for watching all the way to the end have a blessed day and as always real easy my friends