title: Enhancement of hypoxemia by right-to-left atrial shunting in severe asthma.
abstract: We report two cases of severe hypoxemia due to right-to-left shunt in acute asthmatic patients. During acute asthma, the transmural right atrial pressure can be higher than left atrial pressure during inspiration and then induce a right-to-left shunt through inter-atrial communication leading to hypoxemia. Contrast echography as well as Doppler analysis can easily confirm the diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Service de Réanimation Médicale, Hôpital Jean Bernard, Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferrandis
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Malin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Herpin
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pourrat
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology*