Apnoeic episodes and breathing difficulties Posted: 05-04-08 09:13am
I have a 1-year old son who has been
having breathing difficulties as of late,
this being in the form of apnoeic
episodes, where he goes blue in the face,
pale elsewhere; his body goes limp and he
appears to have no strength to even lift
an arm or his head, never mind sitting up.
His heart races and his breathing becomes
very shallow, to the extent where it
becomes difficult to tell whether or not
he is breathing at all.
He has had 6 of these episodes in the
space of a month and a half, causing us to
make 4 trips to hospital and one call to
an ambulance.
He has had an EEG, ECG, Blood Tests
including glucose, has been hooked up to a
BP/o2 monitor whilst sleeping, and all
have come back completely normal.
The episodes are infrequent, sometimes
happening the night after a previous
attack, sometimes not happening for 15
days after the previous one. Recovery time
roughly 20 minutes after being picked up.
I noticed what appears to be an inverted
rib, no chest xray yet. Help!
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DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
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Toddlers Answer A4100 Posted: 05-13-08 20:01pm
The reason for those attacks or apnoeic
episodes with disturbed breathing could be
neurological, pulmonary or cardiac.
An MRI-scan of the head to visualize the
brain can be done;
24 hours holter monitoring of the heart to
detect heart arrhythmia, and an ultrasound
scan of the heart (echocardiography) to
detect if there is a heart structural
defect;
An MRI scan of the chest can detect if
there is something wrong (foreign body,
for example) with the lungs. A chest X-ray
can also be done.
You may also want to consult an ENT
specialist to check baby’s upper
respiratory system.
You need an expert opinion from a
pediatrician.
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