Spontaneous breathing

Spontaneous breathing is independent, continuous, (mostly) unconscious breathing under the control of one's own breathing regulation. The opposite is (artificial) ventilation . However, with the help of modern ventilation systems it is possible to support the patient's spontaneous breathing that is too weak, so that the work of breathing (with spontaneous breathing the active muscle contractions required to overcome static or elastic and dynamic or flow-related resistances) both by the person and by the Machine, what is summarized under the term of machine-assisted spontaneous breathing . Sufficient (adequate) spontaneous breathing can be recognized by visible intermittent chest movements, noticeable outflow of air, in the clinic also by a blood gas analysis .

The breathing reflex (reflex of spontaneous breathing) ensures that enough oxygen is inhaled and sufficient carbon dioxide is exhaled even when unconscious or during sleep.

If there are no complications, spontaneous breathing begins automatically six to a maximum of twenty seconds after the birth of a baby, the causes of which are probably an increase in CO ₂ and a drop in pH in the blood, cold stimuli and contact.

Individual evidence

↑ Spontaneous breathing . Roche Lexicon of Medicine
↑ Peter Lotz: Anatomy and Physiology of the Respiratory Tract. In: J. Kilian, H. Benzer, FW Ahnefeld (ed.): Basic principles of ventilation. Springer, Berlin a. a. 1991, ISBN 3-540-53078-9 , 2nd, unchanged edition, ibid 1994, ISBN 3-540-57904-4 , pp. 3–45, here: pp. 23–25.
^ Jörg Rathgeber: Forms of ventilation . In: Fundamentals of mechanical ventilation: Introduction to ventilation for doctors and nurses , Georg Thieme Verlag 2010, ISBN 978-3-13-148792-6
↑ Walied Abdulla: Interdisciplinary Intensive Care Medicine. Urban & Fischer, Munich a. a. 1999, ISBN 3-437-41410-0 , p. 10.
↑ Entry on spontaneous breathing in Flexikon , a wiki from DocCheck , accessed on November 27, 2015.
↑ German Midwives Association (ed.): The newborn in the midwife practice . 2nd Edition. Hippocrates, 2010, ISBN 978-3-8304-5494-6 , pp. 70-71 .

[1] Spontaneous breathing . Roche Lexicon of Medicine

[2] Peter Lotz: Anatomy and Physiology of the Respiratory Tract. In: J. Kilian, H. Benzer, FW Ahnefeld (ed.): Basic principles of ventilation. Springer, Berlin a. a. 1991, ISBN 3-540-53078-9 , 2nd, unchanged edition, ibid 1994, ISBN 3-540-57904-4 , pp. 3–45, here: pp. 23–25.

[3] Jörg Rathgeber: Forms of ventilation . In: Fundamentals of mechanical ventilation: Introduction to ventilation for doctors and nurses , Georg Thieme Verlag 2010, ISBN 978-3-13-148792-6

[4] Walied Abdulla: Interdisciplinary Intensive Care Medicine. Urban & Fischer, Munich a. a. 1999, ISBN 3-437-41410-0 , p. 10.

[5] Entry on spontaneous breathing in Flexikon , a wiki from DocCheck , accessed on November 27, 2015.

[6] German Midwives Association (ed.): The newborn in the midwife practice . 2nd Edition. Hippocrates, 2010, ISBN 978-3-8304-5494-6 , pp. 70-71 .