Labored breathing

Labored respiration or labored breathing is an abnormal respiration characterized by evidence of increased effort to breathe, including the use of accessory muscles of respiration, stridor, grunting, or nasal flaring.

[3] Labored breathing has occasionally been included in the definition of dyspnea as well.

[4] However, in the standard definition, these related signs may be present at the same time, but do not necessarily have to be.

For instance, in respiratory arrest by a primary failure in respiratory muscles the patient, if conscious, may experience dyspnea, yet without having any labored breathing or tachypnea.

The other way around, labored breathing or tachypnea can voluntarily be performed even when there is no dyspnea.