IRREGULARITIES OF BREATHING IN THE NEWBORN PERIOD

Abstract

THE BREATHING of newborn infants has been known to be somewhat irregular in rhythm, depth and rate. Kymographic records of breathing during fussing and crying are so irregular in both premature infants and newborn, full term infants as to furnish little information. Such records during sleep, although still grossly irregular, can be analyzed. The records of premature infants, as reported previously,1 showed gross changes in rate, rhythm and base line at the end of respiration and of tidal air. The records of the newborn infants here reported on showed the same type of irregularity as those of the premature infants formerly reported on by us and as those of the newborn infants reported on by Deming and Washburn.² The effect of the administration of a mixture low in oxygen in producing irregularity and Cheyne-Stokes respiration was shown in 7 of 10 infants and in producing Chèyne-Stokes respiration alone in