[Respiratory failure treated at the intensive care unit "R" of the Internal Disease Clinic of the Institute of Tuberculosis and Pulmonary Diseases (1986-1987)].

A picture and clinical course of the acute and exacerbated chronic respiratory failure have been analysed. An analysis embraced a group of 49 patients, i.e. 16 percent of all patients treated at the Intensive Care Unit. Four subgroups were distinguished depending on the etiology of the disease in which infectious, thrombo-embolic, circulatory or toxic factors caused respiratory failure. An emphasis is on the prevalence of the infectious etiology of disease being noted in 65% of patients. Acute respiratory failure was observed in 37% of patients whereas exacerbation of the chronic respiratory failure in 63%. Complete respiration distress was noted in 55% of cases and partial respiratory failure in the remaining 45%. Gasometric differences characteristic for each subgroup of the patients have also been analysed. 41% of the patients died. The highest mortality rate was seen in pulmonary embolism complicating various pulmonary diseases. Sudden cardiac arrest, shock and not compensated acidosis have been most unfavourable factors in the prognosis.