Approach to the Patient with Acute Respiratory Failure

Abstract

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) is a common reason for admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Failure of one or more components of the respiratory system can lead to hypoxemia, hypercabia, or both. Initial evaluation of patients with ARF should include physical examination, chest imaging, and arterial blood gases (ABG) sampling. As ARF is often a life-threatening emergency, a patient’s oxygenation and ventilation will need to be supported at the same time that diagnostic and therapeutic interventions are planned. The priorities for early treatment are essentially those of basic life support: airway and breathing. The first step is to assess a patient’s airway and ascertain that it is patent. This is followed by efforts to support both oxygenation and ventilation. This can include non-invasive or invasive mechanical ventilatory support. As with all interventions, there are risks inherent in the use of mechanical ventilation, which may be minimized by the use of lung protective ventilation (i.e., with low tidal volumes and airway pressures). Finally, due to the potential complications associated with mechanical ventilation, it is important to regularly assess whether a patient continues to require the assistance of the ventilator, and to liberate patients from mechanical ventilation at the earliest opportunity when clinically safe and feasible to do so. Figures depict pressure-time curve. Tables list the clinical causes of hypoxemic respiratory failure, oxygen delivery devices, indications for noninvasive positive pressure support, common causes of abnormal respiratory mechanics, and common causes of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This review contains 2 highly rendered figures, 5 tables, and 86 references.