Apnea, apnoea, or apnœa (
Greek απνοια, from α-, privative, πνεειν, to breathe) is a technical term for suspension of external
breathing. During apnea there is no movement of the
muscles of respiration and the volume of the
lungs initially remains unchanged. Depending on the patency (openness) of the airways there may or may not be a flow of
gas between the
lungs and the environment;
gas exchange within the lungs and
cellular respiration is not affected. Apnea can be voluntarily achieved (i.e., "holding one's breath"),
drug-induced (e.g.,
opiate toxicity), mechanically induced (e.g.,
strangulation), or it can occur as a consequence of neurological disease or
trauma.
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