Apnoea and ALTE
January 9th 2008 -
At times you might have noticed in babies that they stop breathing. This in medical terms is known as Apnoea and in this article; I will try my level best to make you understand in layman language to what apnoea is and what should be done in such emergencies?
It is reported t hat apnoea attack affects approximately 500 babies a year. This qualifies it as an important issue for health education for all those who are related to babies directly and indirectly.
Defining apnoea
In simplest possible terms, apnoea can be defined as a situation in which air flow to the lungs has stopped. This situation can arise because the baby stops breathing, or because the windpipe or airways have become blocked. In some cases the both these factors combine and give rise to such a situation.
Effects of apnoea
It is believed that irregular breathing and short apnoeic stops are not significant and have no adverse impact on the young babies but the situation may start getting out of control with prolonged bouts.
Data available with Foundation for the Study of Sudden Infant Deaths (FSSIDS) suggests that sometimes babies stop breathing for prolonged periods and the oxygen levels in the blood drop with cyanosis (change of color to blue) due to increased CO2. They may also become floppy and may choke or gag and this is termed as Apparent Life Threatening Event (ALTE).
The reasons of ALTE
In quite some cases this condition is believed to be associated with inhalation of vomit. It is also thought that it may be due to some identifiable disease or condition such as an infection but we can not deny the fact that in about half of the cases a cause is not found. It appears a funny initially that in some instances a baby somehow forgets how to breathe with outcomes that are not funny but painful.
What steps should be taken?
In cases where the baby experiences such an instance, vigorous stimulation and resuscitation are the important steps to help the baby start normal breathing. The process to do it is a bit tricky and it is recommended by FSSID that all parents should take a course in stimulation and resuscitation prior to the birth of their child.