Cheyne-Stokes breathing is characterized by:

• A. a distinct pattern of breathing characterized by quickening and deepening respirations followed by a period of apnea
• B. rapid, shallow breathing with no apnea
• C. very deep, gasping breaths with no expiration
• D. irregular chest wall movements without pattern

Answer: (A)

Cheyne-Stokes breathing is a cyclical pattern where the depth and rate of breaths wax and wane in a crescendo–decrescendo, followed by a period of no breathing (apnea) before the cycle repeats. This pattern reflects fluctuating respiratory drive, often seen with central nervous system or heart failure conditions. The option describing increasing then decreasing breaths with an apnea period captures this exact cycle. It’s not simply rapid, shallow breathing (tachypnea) without an apnea phase, not gasping or labored breaths without expiration (agonal breathing), and not irregular, pattern-less chest wall movements (ataxic/Biot breathing), which lack the distinct, repeating cycle with a clear apnea.