Abstract
The term chronic respiratory failure denotes a failure in the basic functions of gas exchange: the oxygenation of arterial blood and/or elimination of carbon dioxide. It can be classified as acute or chronic according to its time of onset, although the true difference is that compensatory mechanisms for tissue hypoxia are activated in the chronic form. The diagnosis is made by means of an arterial blood gas test and the possible etiologies comprise a very broad differential diagnosis which includes respiratory, cardiological, oncological, and neuromuscular diseases. The treatment of chronic respiratory failure is based on three fundamental pillars: general measures (among which stopping smoking is of note); optimization of the treatment for underlying disease and its complications; and the correction of hypoxemia and hypercapnia, mainly through oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation.
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