Oscillatory breathing patterns leading to apneic spells in infants

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Abstract
Respiration was monitored with a face mask and flowmeter in active sleep (AS) and quiet sleep (QS) for 10 full-term and 2 premature [human] infants within the first 5 postnatal days. The frequency content of breath-to-breath variations in expired minute ventilation (.ovrhdot.VE), tidal volume (VT) and total breath duration (TT) were determined with a comb of zero-phase-shift digital band-pass filters. The predominant oscillations in .ovrhdot.VE occurred during AS at the lowest frequencies monitored, 50-60 breaths/cycle, and at frequencies corresponding to 16-20 breaths/cycle. The latter oscillations were principally due to changes of VT, with changes of TT either negligible or acting to reduce the effects of VT (compensating). The slower .ovrhdot.VE oscillations (50-60 breaths/cycle) had significant contributions from TT; generally, TT and VT changes reinforced one another to produce ventilatory changes. Occasional, seemingly random, short apneas were related to simultaneous oscillations of different cycle times. Infant periodic breathing involving recurring apnea can be regarded as a stronger form of the 16-20 breaths/cycle oscillation seen here. Long apneas (.apprx. 30 s) may be related to the lower-frequency oscillations.