What is Acute Respiratory failure (ARF)?

Rigomo Team

Sun, 05 Oct 2025

Acute Respiratory failure (ARF) is a syndrome, characterized by the inability of the system to support effective and continuous gas exchange and elimination of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. ARF is a medical emergency

The syndrome is recognized to have contributed to increased mortality globally, and a high rate of ICU admission. Most typical causes of ARF embrace acute respiratory illness, chronic impending respiratory organ failure, chronic coronary insufficiency, and acute respiratory distress syndrome.

There are 2 main types of ARF:

Hypoxemic respiratory failure: Lack of oxygen in the blood, but levels of carbon dioxide are almost normal.

Hypercapnic respiratory failure: Presence of too much carbon dioxide in the blood, and near normal or lack of oxygen in the blood.

Symptoms of ARF.

o   Difficulty breathing

o   Cyanosis [bluish coloration in the skin, fingertips, or lips]

o   Rapid breathing

o   Restlessness, confusion

o   Drowsiness

o   Irregular heartbeats

o   Excessive sweating

Diagnosis and Treatment

In ARF emergency measures of diagnosing and treatment ought to be enforced at the same time to forestall the progression and complications of respiratory

The diagnosis of ARF is usually suspected based on the symptomatic profile of the patient, the body’s oxygen and carbon dioxide levels level, an arterial blood gas test, and a chest X-ray/CT Scan to find out the lung abnormality.

General principles of treatment of ARF patients are similar regardless of the underlying metabolism patho­logy.

These include:

1) Check for patency of Airways, and look for breathing and circulation

2) Oxygen supplementation through the mask or nasal tubing to maintain adequate oxygen levels.

3) Tracheostomy is needed if a patient is on prolonged ventilator support

Improvements in current medical technologies, better respiratory support after early detection, and immediate intervention have contributed to a decrease in the overall morbidity and mortality from ARF.