Primary care
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Acute respiratory failure can be diagnosed using clinical judgment and simple bedside measurement of physiologic function. Respiratory support is based on the pathophysiology of the disorder. Initial therapy is directed at correcting life-threatening hypercapnia, hypoxia, and acidosis. The final outcome is positively influenced by skillful intensive care and a team approach.
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Immunocompromised hosts are predisposed to pulmonary infection with a wide variety of pathogens. A cooperative team effort is recommended to complete, in stepwise fashion, the procedures necessary to establish the specific cause of pulmonary infiltrates in the compromised host. The diagnostic approach needs to be individualized, and will depend in part on the urgency of the clinical situation and the skills available at the institution providing treatment.