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Hypercapnia is when there is too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood
The pulmonary system is typically excellent at removing excess CO2 from the body. Most causes of hypercapnia are due to the failure of the pulmonary system to ventilate properly removing CO2.
Epidemiology[edit | edit source]Hypercapnia is a syndrome of illness rather than a single disease etiology. As such the exact epidemiology is linked to the specific inducing pathology.[2] Type 2 Respiratory Failure[edit | edit source]Type 2 respiratory failure is defined as: PaCO2 greater than 4.2kPa and PaO2 less than 8kPa.[1] (these ranges can differ slightly depending on the book or article).[3]
Clinical Signs[edit | edit source]In an acute setting a hypercapnic patient may present with some or all of the following symptoms[1][5]:
In chronic respiratory diseases, these symptoms can develop over time, however, symptoms can become severe which can lead to coma or death if left untreated. Pathology[edit | edit source]Hypercapnia has been shown to have the following pathology:[6]
[7] Causes of Hypercapnia[edit | edit source]Respiratory Failure[edit | edit source]
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Medical Treatment[edit | edit source]Initial treatment of hypercapnia is oxygen therapy with the goal of increasing the inspired oxygen volume.[5]
Chronic Hypercapnia[edit | edit source]Chronic hypercapnia is seen in COPD patients and can be managed through different ways:
Complications[5][edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]Arterial blood gases Respiratory failure COPD Measuring respiratory rate and common breathing patterns References[edit | edit source]
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