Acute respiratory failure

DDx

Airway disorders

  • Asthma
  • COPD exacerbation
  • Airway obstruction
Pulmonary edema
  • Left ventricular dysfunction
  • Mitral regurgitation or stenosis
  • Volume overload states
  • Acute respiratory distress syndrome
  • Re-expansion
Parenchymal lung disorders
  • Pneumonia or aspiration pneumonitis
  • Interstitial lung disease
  • Lung contusion
Pulmonary vascular disorders
  • Pulmonary thromboembolism
Chest wall, diaphragm, and pleural disorders
  • Flail chest
  • Pneumothorax
  • Pleural effusion
  • Massive ascites
Neuromuscular and related disorders
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Poliomyelitis
  • Botulism
  • Organophosphates or aminoglycosides
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Phrenic nerve injury or dysfunction
  • Hypokalemia, hypophosphatemia
  • Myxedema
CNS disorders
  • Drugs: sedative, hypnotic, opioid, anesthetics
  • Brainstem disorder
  • Intracranial hypertension
  • CNS infections
Increased CO2 production
  • Fever, infection, seizures, drugs

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