Acute respiratory failure

Acute respiratory failure

Acute Respiratory Failure (ARF) is a syndrome caused by the inability of the respiratory system to perform its many functions, including the vital function of providing the body with adequate gas exchange (carbon dioxide-oxygen) both at rest and under stress.

The patient suffering from respiratory failure is susceptible to hypoxaemia (decreased arterial blood oxygen levels), which may be associated with hypercapnia (increased carbon dioxide levels), both of which are potentially fatal.

In hypercapnia, respiratory failure is essentially a ventilatory failure, the dysfunction of which is not due to alveolar membrane damage that impairs gas exchange, but rather to a reduction in ventilation corresponding to a CO2 elimination problem that places the patient in a state of hypercapnic respiratory acidosis.

Medica S.p.A. has developed a wide range of CRRT products for adult/paediatric use, including medical devices and equipment that can also treat patients with respiratory failure