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Any condition or injury that affects breathing can cause respiratory failure. The condition or injury may affect your airways or lungs. Or it may affect the muscles, nerves, and bones that help you breathe.
When you can't breathe well, your lungs can’t easily move oxygen into your blood or remove carbon dioxide. This causes a low oxygen or high carbon dioxide level in your blood. Learn more about how your lungs normally exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide in this video.
Respiratory failure can be caused by: