Clinically significant chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a common and important disorder in the United States. As many as 15 million individuals suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, many of whom have disease requiring hospital or ICU admission. Acute respiratory failure in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the most common causes of admission to t...

Definitions Acute respiratory failure describes any impairment in oxygenation or ventilation in which the arterial oxygen tension falls below 60 mm Hg (acute hypoxemia), the carbon dioxide tension rises above 50 mm Hg (acute hypercarbia, hypercapnia) and the pH drops below 7.35, or both. For patients who have underlying chronic respiratory failure, acute hypercarbia can be diagnosed by an incre...

A b st ra ct Although asthma is a condition that is managed in the outpatient setting in most patients, the poorly control­ led and severe cases pose a major challenge to the health-care team. Recognition of the more common insidious and the less common rapid onset “acute asphyxic” asthma are important. The intensivist needs to be familiar with the factors that denote severity of the exacerbati...

Palytoxin is one of the most potent toxins known to mankind and poses a high risk to humans through ingestion, inhalation and dermal routes [1,2]. Although the exact mechanism of action is unknown it is postulated that palytoxin binds to the Na+/K + ATPase pump resulting in K+ efflux, Ca2+ influx and membrane depolarization leading to widespread secondary pharmacological actions [2]. Palytoxin ...

OBJECTIVES Respiratory failure from acute lung injury (ALI), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pneumonia are the major cause of morbidity and mortality following an oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer. This study was performed to investigate whether an intraoperative corticosteroid can attenuate postoperative respiratory failure. METHODS Between November 2005 and December 2008,...

Severe respiratory failure (including acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome) caused by 2009 H1N1 influenza infection has been reported worldwide. Refractory hypoxemia is a common finding in these patients and can be challenging to manage. This review focuses on nonventilatory strategies in the advanced treatment of severe respiratory failure and refractory hypoxemia such as ...

adequately ventilate), or both hypoxic and hypercapnic. In addition, respiratory failure can be caused by an inability to protect the airway. Alterations in the normal physiology and anatomy of the respiratory system can lead to respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Anatomic alterations causing airway obstruction, such as tumors, edema, direct or indirect trauma, burns, or other...