Respiratory Failure in COVID-19 Condition

Abstract

Respiratory failure, characterized as the unsuccessful maintenance of adequate gas exchange, is associated with abnormalities of arterial blood gas tensions. The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is majorly a respiratory disease capable of causing infection caused by the newly discovered coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) with a consequential effect on respiratory failure. Simply put, respiratory failure is the major clinical demonstration of COVID-19 and the frontline cause of the associated mortality. Respiratory failure instigated by COVID-19 has some clinical features in affected patients. Disorders of the respiratory neuromuscular, airway, pulmonary vesicles, and lung parenchyma all manifest in COVID-19. These features are heterogeneous and categorized into progressive respiratory distress and unique “silent hypoxemia” as two phenotypes. Knowing the exact phenotype in patients with COVID-19 has been of important clinical significance in seeking the right treatment strategies for treating respiratory failure. The chapter will, therefore, provide more insights into the pathophysiology, clinical attributes, pathogenesis, and treatment approach of respiratory failure in COVID-19 conditions, as well as evaluate any similarities and differences that may exist.