Complication | Timeframe | Likelihood |
---|---|---|
mechanical ventilation and ventilator-associated pneumonia | short term | high |
Patients who are ventilated are at high risk of infection. May be due to aspiration following intubation and/or related to bypassing normal anatomic structures involved in host defense. | ||
antibiotic-related diarrhea | short term | high |
Antibiotic-associated colitis, which may be due to Clostridium difficile, is a recognized complication of exposure to antibiotics. | ||
mechanical ventilation and ventilator-associated barotrauma | short term | medium |
Occurs due to mechanical ventilation, and is the development of extra-alveolar air. Careful use of ventilator settings, including use of lower tidal volumes, faster inspiratory flow rates, and monitoring airway pressures may help prevent the occurrence of this complication. | ||
hypotension due to mechanical ventilation | short term | medium |
Occurs due to increased intrathoracic pressure and increased dynamic hyperinflation, leading to decreased venous return to the heart, often in conjunction with relative volume depletion and/or use of anxiolytic and/or narcotic medications. | ||
cor pulmonale | long term | high |
This may develop as a result of increased hypoxic vasoconstriction due to exacerbation-induced hypoxemia. The resulting increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and/or pulmonary artery pressure can lead to acute right heart failure. Elevated jugular venous pressure, hepatojugular reflux, peripheral edema, and relative hypotension may be present. |
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