Is respiratory failure serious?

Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
Updated on September 23, 2024
00:00
00:00

Respiratory failure is a common and critical condition in the respiratory system, and it is very serious. Respiratory failure manifests as a severe decline in respiratory function, often with significant damage to the lungs' ventilation and gas exchange capabilities. Patients often experience severe chest tightness, difficulty breathing, obvious hypoxic cyanosis, and may even present with symptoms such as convulsions and coma, which can be fatal. Treatment usually requires oxygen therapy and often the assistance of a ventilator. Therefore, respiratory failure is considered a very serious condition clinically and requires proactive management to save the patient's life.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Miao Yun
Internal Medicine
1min 10sec home-news-image

Principles of oxygen therapy for respiratory failure

Patients with respiratory failure undergoing oxygen therapy should be treated differently depending on the type of respiratory failure. If it is Type I respiratory failure, it is simply hypoxia without accompanying carbon dioxide retention. Our oxygenation principle can provide slightly higher oxygen flow, with an oxygen flow rate exceeding 5 liters per minute. However, if it is Type II respiratory failure, which comes with severe carbon dioxide retention, it requires continuous low-flow oxygenation. This type of respiratory failure is often caused by chronic pulmonary diseases. Because if high-flow oxygen is provided, the peripheral chemoreceptors' response to hypoxia will decrease in the short term, which will exacerbate respiratory suppression, leading to increased carbon dioxide retention and worsening the condition. Therefore, for Type II respiratory failure, low-flow continuous oxygen should be provided, with an oxygen flow rate controlled below 3 liters per minute.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Miao Yun
Internal Medicine
44sec home-news-image

Respiratory failure is a disease.

Respiratory failure is a condition caused by severe impairment of lung ventilation and gas exchange functions due to various reasons, leading to ineffective gas exchange. This results in hypoxia in the body, accompanied by either retention or non-retention of carbon dioxide, thereby causing a clinical syndrome of physiological and metabolic disorders. The causes of respiratory failure include diseases of the lung tissue, respiratory tract disorders, pulmonary vascular diseases, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, among other factors, all of which can lead to respiratory failure.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
40sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Peng Miao Yun
Internal Medicine
56sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
45sec home-news-image

Is respiratory failure serious?

Respiratory failure is a common and critical condition in the respiratory system, and it is very serious. Respiratory failure manifests as a severe decline in respiratory function, often with significant damage to the lungs' ventilation and gas exchange capabilities. Patients often experience severe chest tightness, difficulty breathing, obvious hypoxic cyanosis, and may even present with symptoms such as convulsions and coma, which can be fatal. Treatment usually requires oxygen therapy and often the assistance of a ventilator. Therefore, respiratory failure is considered a very serious condition clinically and requires proactive management to save the patient's life.