Respiatoy Failure

Question 1

What does bradycardia, tachycardia and hypopnea mean?

Answer 1

Bradycardia = slower than normal heart rate (60-100) 
Tachycardia = HR higher than normal 
Hypopnea = abnormally slow breathing

Question 2

What is respiratory failure?

Answer 2

Failure of the lungs to perform efficient gas exchange
Low PaO2
Can be with or without a rise in PaCO2

Question 3

What is acute respiratory failure?

What is Chronic respiratory failure?

Answer 3

Acute = rapid - e.g. opioids overdose, trauma, pulmonary embolism

Chronic = over a log period of time - COPD

Question 4

What is the normal PaO2 and PaCO2 levels?

Answer 4

PaO2 = 10.5-13.5 Kpa 
PaCO2 = 4.7 - 6.5

Question 5

PAO2 =

Answer 5

PiO2 - PaCO2/R

Question 6

In type 1 respiratory failure what happens to the PaO2 levels and the PaCO2 levels?

Answer 6

PaO2 - hypoxia - low

And PaCO2 - hypocapnia (low) to normal

Question 7

What are the most common causes of type 1 respiratory failure?

Answer 7

Acute - pneumonia and asthma

Chronic - Fibrosing lung disease

Question 8

What is type 2 respiratory failure?

Answer 8

Respiratory failure due to a ;ack of respiratory drive - under ventilation leads to hypoxia and increased levels of CO2

Hence categorised by low PaO2 and high PaCO2

Question 9

Type 2 respiratory failure causes?

Answer 9

Airway - COPD

Drugs overdose

Neuromuscular

Question 10

What are the clinical features of hypoxia?

Answer 10

Cyanosis = blue - good place to check is under the tongue

Irritability

Reduced consciousness

— Coma — death

Question 11

What is hypercapnia and what are the clinical features?

Answer 11

= high PaCO2

Irritable, headache, confusion

Question 12

Treatment of type 1 respiratory failure?

Answer 12

check airways

Oxygen delivery - increase FiO2

Treat the primary cause - e.g antibiotics for pneumonia or an infection in COPD

Question 13

How to treat type 2 respiratory failure?

Why do you need to be careful?

Answer 13

Check airways

Delivery of oxygen - increasing FiO2

Treat primary cause - e.g antibiotics

Note treatment with O2 may be more difficult for example with COPD patients rely on hypoxia to stimulate respiration.

Question 14

How can a IVDA cause type 1 respiratory failure?

Answer 14

Opioids affect the CNS, decreasing HR and RR and hence causing hypoxia.