If the medical chart says "pH 7.32, PaCO2 50, PaO2 65, HCO3 24, BE 0," how would you explain this patient's condition? I think many people look at the numbers but honestly don't fully understand them.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasingly recognised as a systemic disease in which extrapulmonary comorbidities, including sarcopenia, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease, ...

Have you ever had an experience like this in the ICU or an acute care ward? When SpO2 dropped, the only thing you could think of was 'let's take a break for now.' Even when shown blood gas values, you ...

The respiratory system is the organs in your body for breathing, letting you exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. Lung Sounds: What Do They Mean? Learn about normal and abnormal lung sounds, like ...

Background Change in 6-min walk distance (6MWD) over time serves as a measure of change in functional exercise performance. We analysed a large cohort of current or former tobacco smokers over a ...

Math can be hard, we know, but if you are bad at math you shouldn't feel so confident posting figures for the world to see. These math fails were caught by the internet, making them even more ...

Hypercapnia happens when you have too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in your blood. Symptoms of hypercapnia include dizziness, flushing, and shortness of breath. Severe hypercapnia can lead to serious ...

In patients admitted to hospital with an exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (ECOPD), appropriate oxygen therapy can save lives, but excess oxygenation is associated with higher ...

We excluded diseases that directly or indirectly lead to abnormal release of cTnT, including acute coronary syndrome (ACS), cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, valvular heart disease, endocarditis, ...

Sanja Jelic, MD, is board-certified in sleep medicine, critical care medicine, pulmonary disease, and internal medicine. Hypercapnia happens when you have too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in your blood.

Steffini Stalos, DO, is board-certified in pathology and lab medicine. She is currently Chief Medical Officer of Blood Associates, a lab consultancy firm. If your oxygen level drops below 92%, seek ...

In medicine, hypoxia is a condition in which the human body tissues are not oxygenated sufficiently to maintain adequate homeostasis, resulting from inadequate oxygen delivery to the tissues due to ...