Treatment of acute exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Therapeutic interventions introduced and refined over the last 10 years, including chronic home oxygen and improved bronchodilators, have resulted in more patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease living longer despite more severe functional abnormalities. Episodes of acute respiratory failure in this population remain a major complication requiring rapid assessment and intervention. This article focuses on the diagnostic approach and therapeutic interventions in the patient with obstructive lung disease who presents in acute respiratory distress.