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 Li Fang Xiao
Internal Medicine
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Can respiratory failure be cured?

Respiratory failure can potentially be cured, and the key lies in identifying the cause of the respiratory failure. For instance, acute inflammatory infections, such as severe pneumonia and other infectious diseases, can lead to dysfunction in lung ventilation and gas exchange, manifesting as respiratory failure. With the aggressive use of antibiotics and anti-infection drugs, once the infection is controlled, respiratory failure can also be corrected accordingly. Furthermore, if it is a complication of other diseases, such as acute left heart failure, respiratory failure can also occur. This type of respiratory failure will quickly improve once heart function is corrected. However, in the case of chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis, asthma, and other causes, respiratory failure can only be managed with medication to alleviate symptoms, and it cannot be completely cured.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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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.

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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 illness in clinical settings, characterized by serious impairments in the lung's ventilation and gas exchange functions. What are the symptoms after respiratory failure? First and foremost, the earliest and most obvious symptom is difficulty breathing. Many patients experience significant difficulty breathing; severe cases may even involve orthopnea, profuse sweating, and inability to speak. Another important symptom is cyanosis, which is a typical manifestation of hypoxia. Additionally, there can be neuropsychiatric symptoms such as mental confusion, agitation, convulsions, and even coma. Other systems may also exhibit symptoms, such as tachycardia, arrhythmias, and decreased gastrointestinal function.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
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Is respiratory failure contagious?

First, it's important to understand what respiratory failure is. Respiratory failure is a syndrome, not a disease, meaning it can result from many causes. For instance, airway obstruction, lung tissue pathology, diseases of the pulmonary vessels, and diseases of the thorax and pleura, as well as neuromuscular diseases, can all lead to impaired ventilation or gas exchange in the lungs. This impairment makes it impossible for the body to maintain adequate gas exchange even in a resting state, resulting in hypoxemia, with or without hypercapnia, which is referred to as respiratory failure. Therefore, there are many causes of respiratory failure, and some diseases are indeed contagious, such as SARS, H1N1, and H3N2. However, other causes, such as tumors or pulmonary embolism, are generally not contagious.

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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.