CLINICAL EFFECTS AND MANAGEMENT OF HYPERCAPNIA IN MECHANICALLY VENTILATED CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS

Some patients with severe respiratory failure who are unable to breathe normally are admitted to intensive care units. Such patients are treated with mechanical ventilation to support their breathing. These patients while receiving mechanical ventilation may not be able to breathe on their own to regulate their blood oxygen and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels as occurs during normally breathing. Doctors caring for such patients regulate the patient’s oxygen and CO2. This thesis investigates on how CO2 should be managed in patients who are treated with mechanical ventilation in intensive care units.