Which describes agonal breaths?

• A. Traumatic breaths
• B. Apneic breaths
• C. Agonal breaths
• D. Cheyne-Stokes breaths

Answer: (C)

Agonal breaths are irregular, gasping, often slow and shallow breaths that occur during the onset of cardiac arrest. They are not effective breaths—the air movement is minimal and does not provide adequate oxygen delivery. Recognizing agonal breathing signals that the person is in serious trouble and requires immediate action: begin CPR with high-quality chest compressions and provide ventilations as appropriate. This pattern differs from Cheyne-Stokes breathing, which shows cycles of progressively deeper breaths followed by apnea, and from true apnea, where there is no breathing at all. It’s not a standard term for a trauma-related breathing pattern. In short, agonal breaths indicate imminent or ongoing cardiac arrest and require prompt CPR.