Zhonghua yi xue za zhi = Chinese medical journal; Free China ed
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Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi (Taipei) · Nov 1996
Case ReportsHypercapnic respiratory acidosis precipitated by hypercaloric carbohydrate infusion in resolving septic acute respiratory distress syndrome: a case report.
Complications may occur when nutritional support is administered either parenterally or enterally. Inappropriate nutritional formulas with high carbohydrate loads can precipitate respiratory failure in patients with compromised lung function, induce respiratory distress which manifests as dyspnea and tachypnea in an originally normal lung condition, produce hypercapnic acidosis in mechanically ventilated patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as well as patients recovering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) without chronic lung disease, or result in difficult weaning. ⋯ As carbohydrate calories were decreased, CO2 production diminished and the hypercapnia was resolved. The importance of indirect calorimetry cannot be overemphasized during tailoring of nutritional support for the critically ill patients.