RESPIRATORY FAILURE PROGNOSIS

The outlook for patients with respiratory failure depends chiefly on its cause. If the underlying disease can be effectively treated, with the patient's breathing supported in the meantime, the outlook is usually good.

Care is needed not to expose the patient to polluting substances in the atmosphere while recovering from respiratory failure; this could tip the balance against recovery. When respiratory failure develops slowly, pressure may build up in the lung's blood vessels, a condition called pulmonary hypertension. This condition may damage the vessels, worsen hypoxemia, and cause the heart to fail. If it is not possible to provide enough oxygen to the body, complications involving either the brain or the heart may prove fatal.

If the kidneys fail or the diseased lungs become infected, the prognosis is worse. In some cases, the primary disease causing the lungs to fail is irreversible. The patient, family, and physician together then must decide whether to prolong life by ventilator support. Occasionally, lung transplantation is a possibility, but it is a highly complex procedure and is not widely available.