- Main symptoms
- How the diagnosis is made
- Possible causes of respiratory failure
- Treatment for respiratory failure
Respiratory failure is a syndrome in which the lungs have difficulty making normal gas exchanges, failing to properly oxygenate the blood or not being able to eliminate excess carbon dioxide, or both.
When this happens, the person may develop symptoms such as severe shortness of breath, bluish color in the fingers and excessive tiredness.
There are two main types of respiratory failure:
- Acute respiratory failure: it appears suddenly due to airway obstruction, traffic accidents, drug abuse or stroke, for example; Chronic respiratory failure: appears over time due to other chronic diseases, such as COPD, preventing daily activities, such as climbing stairs, without feeling short of breath.
Respiratory failure is curable when treatment is started immediately in the hospital and, therefore, it is important to go to the emergency room when signs of shortness of breath appear. In addition, in chronic patients, respiratory failure can be prevented by treating the underlying disease.
Main symptoms
The symptoms of respiratory failure can vary according to their cause, as can the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body. However, the most common include:
- Feeling of breathlessness; Bluish skin, lips and nails; Fast breathing; Mental confusion; Excessive tiredness and drowsiness; Irregular heartbeat.
These symptoms may appear slowly, in the case of chronic respiratory failure, or appear intensely and from one moment to the next, if it is an acute situation.
In any case, whenever changes in the respiratory level are identified, it is very important to go to the emergency room or consult a pulmonologist to confirm the diagnosis and start the most appropriate treatment.
How the diagnosis is made
The diagnosis of respiratory failure is usually made by the general practitioner or pulmonologist, but it can also be made by the cardiologist when it arises as a result of some cardiac alteration.
In most cases, this diagnosis can be made only by assessing the symptoms, the person's medical history and monitoring their vital signs, but blood tests, such as blood gases, can also be used to assess the amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
When there is no apparent cause for the onset of the failure, the doctor may also order a chest X-ray to identify if there is a lung problem that may be causing the change.
Possible causes of respiratory failure
Any disease or condition that directly or indirectly affects the lung can cause respiratory failure. Thus, some of the most common causes include:
- Muscular dystrophy or other changes that affect the nerves of the respiratory muscles; Drug use, especially in the case of overdose; Lung diseases, such as COPD, asthma, pneumonia or embolism; Inhalation of smoke or other irritating agents.
In addition, some heart problems, such as heart failure, can also have respiratory failure as a sequel, especially when treatment is not done properly.
Treatment for respiratory failure
Treatment for acute respiratory failure should be done as quickly as possible in the hospital, so it is important to go to the emergency room immediately or call an ambulance, calling 192, whenever signs of difficulty in breathing appear.
In order to treat respiratory failure, it is necessary to stabilize the patient, offering oxygen by mask and monitoring his vital signs, and depending on the cause of the symptoms, start a more specific treatment.
However, in cases of chronic respiratory failure, treatment should be done daily with drugs to treat the underlying problem, which may be COPD, for example, and to avoid the appearance of symptoms, such as severe shortness of breath, which endanger the patient's life.
See more about respiratory failure treatment options.
