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- Paula McCauley and Debapriya Datta.
- University of Connecticut School of Nursing, 231 Glenbrook Road, Unit 2026, Storrs, CT 06269, USA. paula.mccauley@uconn.edu
- Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am. 2012 Sep 1;24(3):419-30.
AbstractChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by expiratory airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. Acute exacerbations in patients with moderate to severe COPD can cause severe hypoxia and persistent or severe respiratory acidosis, resulting in respiratory failure and the need for ventilator support. Acute respiratory failure, altered mental status, and hemodynamic instability associated with acute exacerbations of COPD are commonly encountered and require careful management in the intensive care unit (ICU). Noninvasive and invasive ventilator support in conjunction with pharmacotherapy can be lifesaving, although mortality remains high. It is important also to consider pulmonary rehabilitation and palliative care.
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