title: The pathogenesis of respiratory failure: an overview.
abstract: Respiratory failure, defined as inability to breathe without a mechanical ventilator, results from failure of the cardiopulmonary system to maintain adequate oxygenation, even in the face of high inspired concentrations of oxygen or to eliminate carbon dioxide that is a product of metabolism. Thus, respiratory failure may be conceptualized as "a broken system." A thorough knowledge of the pathogenesis of respiratory failure empowers the clinician to define the processes contributing to the "breakdown" and to formulate therapeutic responses designed to expedite recovery and liberation from mechanical ventilation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, Connecticut 06610, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raju
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Manthous
mesh_terms: D006343:Heart Septal Defects / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D006935:Hypercapnia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012769:Shock / Q000150:complications; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio