Cheyne Health Dictionary

A type of breathing which gets very faint for a short time, then gradually deepens until full inspirations are taken for a few seconds, and then gradually dies away to another quiet period, again increasing in depth after a few seconds and so on in cycles. It is seen in some serious neurological disorders, such as brain tumours and stroke, and also in the case of persons with advanced disease of the heart or kidneys. When well marked it is a sign that death is impending, though milder degrees of it do not carry such a serious implication in elderly patients.... cheyne-stokes breathing

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.... cheyne–stokes respiration

a striking form of breathing in which there is a cyclical variation in the rate, which becomes slower until breathing stops for several seconds before speeding up to a peak and then slowing again. It occurs when the sensitivity of the respiratory centres in the brain is impaired, particularly in states of coma. [J. Cheyne (1777–1836), Scottish physician; W. Stokes (1804–78), Irish physician]... cheyne–stokes respiration