Which respiratory pattern is characterized by prolonged inspirations with short ineffective expirations?

• A. Quick shallow inspirations with long expirations.
• B. Normal breathing with a steady rate.
• C. Prolonged inspirations with short ineffective expirations.
• D. Alternating periods of rapid and slow breathing.

Answer: (C)

This pattern is apneustic breathing, where the inspiratory phase is unusually long and the expiratory phase is short and often incomplete. The hallmark is a prolonged pause at full inspiration, with a short, ineffective expiration following it. This occurs when the brainstem’s pontine centers are disrupted, which can happen with severe brain injury or certain CNS conditions. That is exactly the pattern described: a long, drawn-out inhale with a brief, insufficient exhale.

Other patterns don’t fit as well. Quick shallow breaths with long exhalations show rapid but shallow breaths and a longer expiratory effort, not a prolonged inspiration. Normal breathing is steady and unremarkable. Alternating rapid and slow breathing resembles Cheyne-Stokes respiration, which has a crescendo–decrescendo pattern with distinct apnea periods, not a single prolonged inhale with a short exhale.