Prolonged apnea (respiratory arrest) is a life-threatening disorder that requires immediate medical attention and first aid.

Any episode of apnea, even a temporary one, in which a person turns blue, has a seizure, becomes limp, or remains drowsy or unconscious, requires prompt medical attention.

Apnea can occur for many different reasons. The most common causes of apnea in infants and small children are generally quite different from the most common causes in adults.

In infants and children, the most common cause of cardiac arrest (lack of an effective heartbeat) is a preceding respiratory arrest. In adults, the opposite usually occurs: cardiac arrest leads to respiratory arrest.

Common causes of apnea in infants and young children include:

• prematurity
• bronchiolitis or pneumonia
• foreign object aspiration or choking
• breath-holding spells
• seizures
• meningitis or encephalitis
• gastroesophageal reflux
• bronchospasm (asthma)

Common causes of apnea in adults include:

• obstructive sleep apnea
• choking
• drug overdose, especially drugs such as alcohol, narcotic analgesics, barbiturates, anesthetics, and other depressants (see drug abuse first aid)
• cardiac arrest

Other causes of apnea include:

• near-drowning
• head or brain stem injury
• cardiac (arrhythmias)
• metabolic disorders
• nervous system disorders