Respiratory failure topic

Respiratory failure is a medical term for inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system. Respiratory failure can be indicated by observing a drop in blood oxygenation (hypoxemia) and/or a rise in arterial carbon dioxide (hypercapnia), which can be written as (PaO < 60 mmHg, PaCO2 > 45 mmHg).Classification into type I or type II relates to the absence or presence of hypercapnia respectively. (Values in kPa being PO below 8kPA and PCO2 above 6.7 kPa Type 1 respiratory failure is defined as... full article at wikipedia