Respiratory Depression: Causes, Treatment & Recovery

Many conditions that affect the brain and pulmonary system can cause respiratory depression. Various possibilities exist for the treatment of respiratory depression and the restoration of normal breathing.

Definition

• Respiratory depression, which may also be referred to as hypoventilation, is the condition of having a breathing rate that becomes too low to effectively ventilate the lungs.

Cause

• Respiratory depression may be caused by numerous factors including a reaction to opioid drugs, brain damage, poisoning, birth defects, and damaged airways.

Ventilation

• According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, means and methods of treating respiratory depression include drug treatments and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV). NIPPV refers to the mechanical assistance of lung ventilation via a mask worn over the nose and/or mouth.

Naloxone

• According to research published in 2010 in the journal Anesthesiology, naloxone is the only drug treatment available to reverse respiratory depression caused by opioid drugs.

Considerations

• Research published in 2006 in Anethesiology suggests that the effects of the opioid analgesic buprenorphine may last longer than the effects of naloxone. In such cases a continual infusion of naloxone may be required.