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Agonal respiration, gasping respiration, or agonal breathing is a distinct and abnormal pattern of breathing and brainstem reflex characterized by gasping labored breathing and is accompanied by strange vocalizations and myoclonus. Possible causes include cerebral ischemia, hypoxia (inadequate oxygen supply to tissue), or anoxia (total oxygen ...
A death rattle is noisy breathing that often occurs in someone near death. [1] Accumulation of fluids such as saliva and bronchial secretions in the throat and upper airways is the cause. [ 2 ] Those who are dying may lose their ability to swallow and may have increased production of bronchial secretions, resulting in such an accumulation. [ 3 ]
Respiratory arrest is a serious medical condition caused by apnea or respiratory dysfunction severe enough that it will not sustain the body (such as agonal breathing). Prolonged apnea refers to a patient who has stopped breathing for a long period of time. If the heart muscle contraction is intact, the condition is known as respiratory arrest.
Signs of death or strong indications that a human is no longer alive are: Respiratory arrest (no breathing); Cardiac arrest (no pulse); Brain death (no neuronal activity); The heart and lungs are vital organs for human life due to their ability to properly oxygenate human blood (lungs) and distribute this blood to all vital organs (heart).
Clinical death is the medical term for cessation of blood circulation and breathing, the two criteria necessary to sustain the lives of human beings and of many other organisms. [1] It occurs when the heart stops beating in a regular rhythm, a condition called cardiac arrest .
Prior to cardiac arrest, patients may complain of varying symptoms depending on the underlying cause. Patients may exhibit signs of agonal breathing, which to a layperson can look like normal spontaneous breathing, but is a sign of hypoperfusion of the brainstem. [citation needed]
The most common underlying causes are different, depending on the patient's age. Common cardiac causes include coronary artery disease, non-atherosclerotic coronary artery abnormalities, structural heart damage, and inherited arrhythmias. Common non-cardiac causes include respiratory arrest, diabetes, medications, and trauma.
Vital statistics generally distinguish specific injuries and diseases as cause of death, from general categories like homicide, accident, and death by natural causes as manner of death. Both are listed in this category, as are both proximal and root causes of death. An injury that could be fatal is called major trauma; see also Category:Injuries.