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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · CPR and Resuscitation

Agonal breathing

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ˈæɡənəl ˈbriːðɪŋ/nounAdvanced term

In emergency medicine & first aid, agonal breathing means: Irregular gasping or snoring breaths that may occur in the first minutes after cardiac arrest; they are not normal breathing.

In Turkish: agonal solunum, iç çeker gibi solunum

How it is used

A known cause of delayed CPR, because bystanders think the person is still breathing. Call handlers are trained to ask whether breathing is normal and to recognize gasping when callers describe it. Also called 'agonal gasps' or simply 'gasping'.

Example sentences

  1. The caller said he was snoring, but it was agonal breathing.

  2. Agonal breathing is a sign of cardiac arrest, not a reason to wait.

Common collocations

  • agonal gasps
  • recognize agonal breathing
  • gasping breaths
  • cardiac arrestA sudden stop in the heart's effective pumping, so that blood no longer reaches the brain and the person collapses and stops breathing normally.
  • CPRShort for cardiopulmonary resuscitation: chest compressions, often with rescue breaths, given to someone whose heart has stopped, to keep blood and oxygen moving to the brain.
  • airwayThe passage that air travels through from the nose and mouth to the lungs; in emergencies, the question is whether it is open or blocked.
  • dispatcherA person in an emergency call centre who answers calls, decides what help is needed and sends ambulances or other services.

More terms: CPR and Resuscitation

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.