Respiratory failure

• What is respiratory failure?

  When there is a failure of gas exchange and/or ventilation leading to abnormalities in arterial oxygen partial pressure and arterial carbon dioxide partial pressure on arterial blood gas.
• What are the two categories of respiratory failure?

  Type 1

  Type 2
• What defines T1RF?

  Hypoxia with normocapnia
• What defines T2RF?

  Hypoxia with hypercapnia.
• Why does T1RF occur?

  Usually due to ventilation/perfusion mismatch
• What partial pressure of oxygen is hypoxic?

  <8
• What partial pressure of carbon dioxide is hypercapnic?

  >6
• Give 4 causes of type 1 respiratory failure

  Pneumonia

  Pulmonary oedema

  Bronchoconstriction

  Pulmonary embolism
• Why does type 2 respiratory failure happen?

  Alveolar hypoventilation
• Give 7 causes of type 2 respiratory failure

  COPD

  Pneumonia

  Rib fractures

  Obesity

  Guillain-Barre

  Motor neurone disease

  Opioids