Respiratory failure: what treatment to get out of it?

Caution : You must consult your doctor for your health. This page presents only a personal and alternative point of view which should not be considered as an attempt to prescribe medicine.

Poor oxygenation of your blood is what causes respiratory failure.

This results in various symptoms such as fatigue, difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath, etc.

There are several types of respiratory failure that affect several hundred thousand French people.

Some patients receive permanent respiratory assistance while others simply receive oxygen.

What to know about respiratory failure?

Respiratory failure: what is it?

We speak of respiratory failure when the respiratory system is unable to perform its function, that is to say to properly oxygenate the blood.

This insufficiency can be acute or chronic.

The breakdown of a chronic disease related to your lungs can cause acute respiratory failure.

Note that this form of respiratory failure is very serious.

Indeed, this results in a sudden drop in oxygenation of tissues as well as organs, which could lead to the destruction of cells.

Also, when you suffer from chronic respiratory failure, the pressure in your pulmonary arteries increases.

This causes heart failure (right) which results in swelling of the legs, tachycardia as well as increased sensitivity.

There are two main types of this respiratory disorder.

Restrictive respiratory failure

Certain diseases such as myopathy, obesity or scoliosis cause the respiratory pump to malfunction.

This dysfunction dramatically reduces lung capacity and causes restrictive respiratory failure.

The latter can also be the result of a problem with the nerve centers that control breathing.

These problems are usually caused by neurodegenerative diseases (trauma to the vertebrae, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, etc.).

Obstructive respiratory failure

Several lung diseases cause this type of respiratory failure.

These are mainly asthma, cystic fibrosis, bronchial dilation, emphysema and COPD ( Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ).

The airways are partially blocked, which lowers the amount of oxygen the body receives.

What are the causes of respiratory failure?

There can be several reasons for respiratory failure in an individual.

Acute respiratory failure, for example, can be caused by a very severe asthma attack or a lung infection.

Carbon monoxide poisoning can also cause this disease.

In the case of chronic respiratory failure, it is pathologies related to the respiratory system that are the cause (cystic fibrosis, Broncho pneumopathy, etc.).

Smoking and pollution can also cause chronic respiratory failure.

There are other significant causes such as allergy and lung cancer.

In fact, people with allergies can suffer from respiratory failure.

Also, if you have lung cancer, there is a chance that you have respiratory failure, especially if the cancer has reached an advanced stage.

What are the symptoms?

When you have this disease, your body does not receive enough oxygen to perform its normal functions.

People with the condition usually get short of breath very quickly and tire more quickly.

This can be seen even after making a little effort.

When the oxygenation of the blood drops considerably, parts of the patient's skin turn blue.

This is displayed much more at the level of the fingers.

Diagnosis

If you lose your breath after making any effort such as going up a flight of stairs, it may be breathing difficulty.

You can experience this disorder during the day as well as at night.

This can cause a sleep disorder.

The diagnosis of this disorder can be made after examinations and tests.

We can cite in particular:

• gas measurement which allows to know the quantity of oxygen present in the arteries;
• x-ray of the lungs;
• the EFR (respiratory functional exploration) which allows to determine the respiratory capacity;
• the chest scanner;
• or cardiac ultrasound.

The symptoms identified are the elements that determine the examinations to be performed.

Treatment of respiratory failure

The disease can be treated in several ways: treatment of the underlying respiratory failure or the use of respiratory support.

The second solution takes into account ventilatory assistance (with a mask) or home oxygen therapy.

This practice allows you to achieve almost normal breathing, as respiratory failure is usually irreversible.

Oxygen therapy therefore makes it possible to bring oxygen to the patient for a few hours every day or so constantly.

The oxygen supply is done through a mask or nasal glasses that is connected to the oxygen cylinder.

Between causes, symptoms and treatments, you are now informed of the essentials about this respiratory disorder.

In addition, if you are affected, know that the help of those around you can be useful to you to get better.

This mainly concerns psychological and nutritional care.

If you used to smoke, it would be important that you quit.

And whatever the stage of the disease, a breathing course would do you the most good.

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