Signs, Causes, and Management of Agonal Breathing

6. Agonal Breathing vs. Other Breathing Issues

People, even physicians, often mistake agonal breathing for several other respiratory issues. The death rattle, a layman’s term for the moments of breathing before death, is nearly identical to agonal breathing. However, the death rattle is the result of fluid build-up due to an inability to swallow.

Agonal breathing is essentially the body’s final effort to gain oxygen and is usually not an effective form of breathing. Some experts incorrectly use the term “agonal respiration” to refer to any breathing pattern accompanying organ failure.