What is primary central sleep apnea (CSA)?
Primary CSA is characterized by recurrent central apneas of unknown etiology not caused by a medical or neurologic condition or medications.
It is defined as a cessation of airflow during sleep associated with an absence of respiratory effort. Airflow and respiratory effort cease simultaneously in a repetitive pattern throughout the course of the night.
As a result, there is fragmented sleep, yielding to excessive daytime sleepiness, frequent nocturnal awakenings, or both.
ETCO 2 monitoring will show a low normal PaCO 2 during wakefulness (less than 40 mm Hg).
