Respiratory depression: Causes, symptoms, and treatment
Last reviewed Mon 21 August 2017
By Jennifer Huizen
Reviewed by Graham Rogers, MD
Respiratory depression is characterized by low, shallow breathing.
Respiratory depression means that a person's rate and depth of breathing are lower than normal. This results in low oxygen levels and high carbon dioxide levels in the blood. Without treatment, the condition can cause life-threatening complications, including coma and death.
Anything that depresses the central nervous system (the brain) can cause respiratory depression since the brain controls a person's respiratory drive. In minor cases, symptoms may be unnoticeable.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319030.php
