Respiratory Failure Essay

2737 Words11 Pages
INTRODUCTION Respiratory failure is a sudden and life-threatening deterioration of the gas exchange function of the lung. It exists when the exchange of oxygen for carbon dioxide in the lungs cannot keep up with the rate of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production by the cells of the body. DEFINITION Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is defined as a fall in arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) to less than 50 mm Hg (hypoxemia) and a rise in arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) to greater than 50 mm Hg (hypercapnia), with an arterial pH of less than 7.35. Respiratory failure is inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, with the result that levels of arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide or both cannot be maintained within their normal ranges. The normal reference values are: oxygen PaO2 greater than 80 mmHg (11 kPa), and carbon dioxide PaCO2 less than 45 mmHg (6.0 kPa). CAUSES In ARF, the ventilation or perfusion mechanisms in the lung are impaired. Respiratory system mechanisms leading to ARF include: • Alveolar hypoventilation • Diffusion abnormalities • Ventilation–perfusion mismatching • Shunting Common causes of ARF can be classified into four categories: 1. Decreased respiratory drive 2. Dysfunction of the chest wall 3. Dysfunction of the lung parenchyma and 4. Other causes. Decreased respiratory drive Decreased respiratory drive may occur with severe brain injury, large lesions of the brain stem (multiple sclerosis), use of sedative medications, and metabolic disorders such as hypothyroidism. These disorders impair the normal response of chemoreceptors in the brain to normal respiratory stimulation. Dysfunction of the chest wall The impulses arising in the respiratory center travel through nerves that extend from the brain stem down the spinal cord to receptors in the muscles of respiration. Thus, any disease or disorder of

More about Respiratory Failure Essay

Open Document