Death after voluntary hyperventilation.

VOLUNTABY hyperventilation is commonly employed to evaluate pulmonary function in patients with alveolar underventilation. In a patient of ours with pulmonary insufficiency secondary to neurologic disease prolonged apnea developed, and he died after voluntary overbreathing. By reporting this fatal case, we hope to call attention to this hazard so that it can be avoided in the future. Case Report A 44-year-old man was referred to the Little Rock Veterans Administration Hospital because of extreme lethargy and somnolence, which had persisted for 72 hours. He was disoriented and unable to give a reliable history at the time of admission, but it . . .