Table 1

Classification of etiology of acute respiratory failure

Classification
Details

Pulmonary
Upper airway obstruction, acute respiratory distress syndrome, chronic obstructuve pulmonary disease, lobar pneumonia, malignant effusion, aspergilloma, aspiration pneumonitis, lobar collapse, asthma exacerbation, noncardiogenic pulmonary edema
Cardiac
Congestive heart failure, pericarditis, primary cardiomyopathy, acute myocardial infarction, bacterial endocarditis
Neurologic
Status epilepticus, cerebral vascular accident, intracranial hemorrhage, convulsion/seizure disorder
Renal
Acute renal failure
Other
Liver failure, drug overdose, upper/lower gastrointestinal bleed, diabetic ketoacidosis, sepsis, blood transfusion reaction, vasculitis

Seymour et al. Critical Care 2004 8:R322   doi:10.1186/cc2913