Respiratory Depression Treatment

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.