Does respiratory failure spread?

Written by Han Shun Li

Pulmonology

Updated on September 03, 2024

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Respiratory failure is a condition characterized by significant decline in respiratory function and is clinically very serious, being a common critical and acute illness. Respiratory failure itself is not contagious, but certain diseases that cause respiratory failure can be contagious. For example, if it is caused by infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, then the tuberculosis can be transmitted, but respiratory failure itself is not contagious.

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Written by Li Fang Xiao

Internal Medicine

48sec

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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 Li Qiang

Intensive Care Unit

45sec

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Precursors of respiratory failure

Respiratory failure can be a very acute condition, or it may evolve gradually due to chronic diseases. The basic precursors of respiratory failure generally include hypoxia or hypercapnia. In the early stages of hypoxia, patients may experience excitement or irritability, characterized by rapid breathing and possibly sweating due to the effort of breathing. Symptoms include accelerated breathing and hypoxia; the patient’s lips may also turn blue. If the level of carbon dioxide increases, once past the initial period of excitement and as the hypoxia worsens, the person may become listless. Gradually, their consciousness may become unclear, manifesting as drowsiness or possibly even coma.

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Written by Peng Miao Yun

Internal Medicine

44sec

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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.

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Written by Han Shun Li

Pulmonology

45sec

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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

50sec

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Classification of Causes of Respiratory Failure

Respiratory failure, if categorized by its cause, can be divided into pump failure and lung failure. Pump failure refers to the failure of the respiratory pump, which comprises the central nervous system that drives or regulates respiratory movement, the peripheral nervous system, neuromuscular tissues, and the thoracic cage, collectively known as the respiratory pump. Respiratory failure caused by dysfunction of these components is called pump failure. Another type is lung failure, which results from airway obstruction, pulmonary tissue and vascular pathology, and is termed lung failure. Lung failure can lead to type I or type II respiratory failure, whereas pump failure typically presents as type II respiratory failure.