ACUTE RESPIRATORY FAILURE IN CHILDREN

Abstract

Acute respiratory failure is the most common medical emergency in children. Physiologic peculiarities explain the increased vulnerability of infants and children to any pathology affecting the respiratory tract. The importance of patient’s history and correct physical examination for early recognition of an impending catastrophic progression of respiratory failure. Under most circumstances, correct physical examinatio  alone allows one to pinpoint the cause to a particular part of the respiratory system and to make the appropriate decisions for a proactive and life-saving anagement of the critically ill child.