Whether or not a patient is at risk if his or her current respiratory rate is less than 10 breaths/minute depends largely on what disease is causing the slowing of the patient’s respiratory rate. The standard respiratory rate for a normal adult at rest is 12-20 breaths/minute, with a respiration to pulse ratio of 1:4. Bradypnea occurs when the patient’s respiratory rate is less than 12 breaths/minute. Common causes of bradypnea include overdose of anesthetics or sedatives, which is likely to lead to respiratory depression, thus causing the patient to go into respiratory and cardiac arrest. There is also bradypnea in people with increased intracranial pressure.