Cheyne–Stokes respiration

An abnormal pattern of breathing in which the rate and depth of respiration varies. Cheyne–Stokes respiration is characterized by repeated cycles, lasting a few minutes, of deep, rapid breathing that becomes slower and shallower and then stops for 10–20 seconds. The pattern may be due to malfunction of the part of the brain that controls breathing (as occurs in some cases of stroke and head injury). It may also occur as a result of heart failure or in healthy people at high altitudes, especially during sleep.