PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - M. Ferrer
TI  - Postgraduate Course ERS Munich 2006 - Diagnostic procedures to detect the causes of hypoxic respiratory failure: is being less invasive necessarily better?
AID  - 10.1183/18106838.0303.277
DP  - 2007 Mar 01
TA  - Breathe
PG  - 277--281
VI  - 3
IP  - 3
4099  - http://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/3/3/277.short
4100  - http://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/3/3/277.full
SO  - Breathe2007 Mar 01; 3
AB  - Educational aimsTo review the diagnostic approach to the most relevant pulmonary causes of hypoxic acute respiratory failure.To focus on the use of invasive and noninvasive diagnostic techniques for these diseases.Summary Both acute and chronic pulmonary disorders can lead to hypoxic acute respiratory failure (ARF), in which patients are unable to maintain arterial oxygenation despite not retaining carbon dioxide. The three major acute disorders which can underly ARF are (ventilator-assisted) pneumonia (VAP), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary embolism. Each of these conditions poses its own diagnostic and treatment difficulties. This article will review diagnostic procedures relating to these most relevant causes of this syndrome.