Which respiratory pattern involves a gradual increase in depth and rate with subsequent periods of apnea?

The respiratory pattern that involves a gradual increase in depth and rate with subsequent periods of apnea is Cheyne-Stokes breathing. This pattern is characterized by a cyclical rhythm of breathing, where the individual first breathes more deeply and than more slowly, eventually leading to a cessation of breathing (apnea) before the cycle begins again.

Cheyne-Stokes respiration is often associated with various medical conditions, including congestive heart failure, stroke, or brain injuries. This alternating pattern reflects changes in the body's response to carbon dioxide levels; as the body becomes hypercapnic (increased carbon dioxide), it leads to deeper and faster breaths, followed by a decrease in ventilation until another period of deep breathing resumes.

Biots respirations are marked by irregular clusters of breaths followed by periods of apnea, while ataxic breathing is characterized by a complete lack of coordinated breathing pattern and is less regular than Cheyne-Stokes. Kussmaul breathing, on the other hand, is a type of hyperventilation typically seen in metabolic acidosis where the breaths are uniform and deep, without periods of apnea or the cyclic increase and decrease in depth and rate. Thus, the defining continuous cycle of increased and decreased ventilation with periods of apnea identifies Cheyne-Stokes