Acute respiratory failure and CNS-depressing drugs.

Acute respiratory failure and CNS-depressing drugs.

Data from a drug surveillance programme were analysed to estimate the frequency with which patients with a diagnosis of respiratory failure had been exposed to CNS-depressing drugs. Eleven out of 37 patients with respiratory failure had received such medication. A detailed comparison of these patients and controls admitted to hospital because of respiratory disease who did not develop respirato...

Acute respiratory failure in asthma

A b st ra ct Although asthma is a condition that is managed in the outpatient setting in most patients, the poorly control­ led and severe cases pose a major challenge to the health-care team. Recognition of the more common insidious and the less common rapid onset “acute asphyxic” asthma are important. The intensivist needs to be familiar with the factors that denote severity of the exacerbati...

Tracheostomy for acute respiratory failure.

Palytoxin-induced acute respiratory failure

Palytoxin is one of the most potent toxins known to mankind and poses a high risk to humans through ingestion, inhalation and dermal routes [1,2]. Although the exact mechanism of action is unknown it is postulated that palytoxin binds to the Na+/K + ATPase pump resulting in K+ efflux, Ca2+ influx and membrane depolarization leading to widespread secondary pharmacological actions [2]. Palytoxin ...

Acute renal failure and nephrotoxic drugs.

abnormal retention of blood nitrogen and serum creatinine which must be excreted. The clinical manifestations ofARF are the decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and the inability of the kidney to excrete the toxic metabolic substances produced in the body. Someof the drugs administered by physicians possess nephrotoxicities and occasionally induce ARF. Therefore, physicians must have vas...