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Respiratory acidosis - Symptom

Alternative Names

Ventilatory failure; Respiratory failure; Acidosis - respiratory

Symptoms:

Symptoms may include:

Confusion
Easy fatigue
Lethargy
Shortness of breath
Sleepiness

Signs and tests:

A chest x-ray or CT scan is a helpful way of checking the lung's appearance without having to biopsy it.

Pulmonary function tests are a series of breathing tests that evaluate lung capacity.

An arterial blood gas test involves having blood drawn and directly measuring the amounts of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and acids.

Respiratory system

Reviewed last on: 11/12/2007
Andrew Schriber, M.D., F.C.C.P., Specialist in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Virtua Memorial Hospital, Mount Holly, New Jersey. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

References

Murray J, Nadel J. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2000:191-192.

Marx J., Hockberger R, Walls R. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2005.

Ford MD. Clinical Toxicology. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2001:92.

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