Respiratory failure classified by etiology

Written by Peng Miao Yun
Internal Medicine
Updated on September 26, 2024
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Respiratory failure can be classified according to its causes into four types. The first type involves diseases of the airway such as bronchial inflammation, bronchiectasis, and foreign body obstruction, leading to insufficient ventilation. The second type is due to lung tissue diseases, such as pneumonia, severe tuberculosis, emphysema, diffuse pulmonary fibrosis, adult respiratory distress syndrome, etc., causing a state of hypoxia and carbon dioxide retention due to ventilatory defects. The third type includes pulmonary vascular diseases, such as pulmonary vascular embolism and pulmonary infarction, which cause part of the venous blood to flow into the pulmonary veins, resulting in hypoxia. The fourth type involves diseases of the thoracic cage such as chest trauma, surgical trauma, pneumothorax, and pleural effusion, which affect daily activities and lung expansion, leading to insufficient lung ventilation and resulting in respiratory failure.

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Written by Wang Ji Zhong
Internal Medicine
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Causes of respiratory failure

Respiratory failure is a severe breathing difficulty that can lead to hypoxia and carbon dioxide retention. The causes of respiratory failure can be broadly classified into the following categories: First, there are diseases of the lung parenchyma, such as various lung infections, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, lung abscess, and diseases of the lung interstitium. Another type involves obstruction of the airway, including obstruction in the upper respiratory tract, which covers the nose, pharynx, and larynx, as well as obstructions in the lower respiratory tract, which can also lead to respiratory failure. Third, there are diseases involving the peripheral nervous transmission system and the respiratory machinery, such as acute infectious polyradiculoneuritis, poliomyelitis, and some cervical spine injuries. These can severely affect the respiratory center and respiratory nerves, leading to respiratory failure.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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What are the symptoms of respiratory failure?

Respiratory failure is a common critical condition in clinical settings. At the stage of respiratory failure, patients often experience severe discomfort and pain. Common symptoms include difficulty breathing, with many patients showing obvious respiratory distress, often needing to sit upright to breathe, profuse sweating, and an inability to continue normal activity. Additionally, cyanosis can occur, indicating very severe hypoxia. Symptoms of pulmonary encephalopathy, such as mental confusion, convulsions, and agitation, may also appear. In severe cases, patients may even fall into a coma. Hence, at the stage of respiratory failure, patients suffer considerably.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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What are the symptoms of respiratory failure?

Respiratory failure is a common and serious condition in clinical settings, often categorized as an acute and critical illness. Simply put, respiratory failure occurs when respiratory function is extremely poor. It is caused by severe impairment of pulmonary ventilation and gas exchange due to various reasons. Even at rest, sufficient gas exchange cannot be maintained, leading to serious hypoxemia or concurrent hypercapnia. Clinically, this often presents with severe breathing difficulties, hypoxia, cyanosis, and requires immediate intervention to prevent potentially life-threatening complications.

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Written by Li Fang Xiao
Internal Medicine
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Is respiratory failure serious?

Respiratory failure is a relatively severe disease, with the most common causes being chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or heart failure, which are frequently seen in clinical settings. Respiratory failure can be definitively diagnosed by performing blood gas analysis. Clinically, patients will exhibit symptoms of breathing difficulty, such as orthopnea or wheezing. In blood gas analysis, oxygen saturation is often below 90%, and the partial pressure of oxygen is less than 60 mmHg. These indicators can diagnose respiratory failure. Although respiratory failure is a serious condition, it can be recoverable through active symptomatic treatment, identifying the underlying cause, and eliminating aggravating factors.

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Written by Peng Miao Yun
Internal Medicine
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Can respiratory failure be cured?

Respiratory failure is a critical condition in clinical settings, characterized by high mortality rates and the potential to impair multiple organ functions, thus endangering the lives of patients. However, in cases of chronic respiratory failure, it is generally incurable, as the respiratory function of these patients has already declined significantly. For patients with acute respiratory failure, the possibility of recovery is closely tied to the ability to diagnose early and administer effective treatment promptly. If acute respiratory failure is treated effectively early on by removing the trigger and the cause, and if the respiratory function can significantly improve within a short time, then there is still a chance for a cure.