Respiratory Failure - Signs, Symptoms, and Complications - Signs, Symptoms, and Complications

Symptoms of respiratory failure depend on its cause, the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood, and whether respiratory failure developed slowly over time or suddenly. You may start out with mild symptoms such as shortness of breath or rapid breathing, which may get worse over time. Acute respiratory failure can be a life-threatening emergency. Respiratory failure may cause damage to your lungs and other organs, so it is important to get treated quickly.

Signs and symptoms

Low oxygen levels in your blood can cause:

• Difficulty or extreme tiredness with routine activities such as dressing, taking a shower, and climbing stairs
• Shortness of breath or feeling like you cannot get enough air (called air hunger)
• Drowsiness
• A bluish color on your fingers, toes, and lips

High carbon dioxide levels in your blood can cause:

• Blurred vision
• Confusion
• Headaches
• Rapid breathing

You can have symptoms of low oxygen and high carbon dioxide at the same time. Some people who have respiratory failure become extremely sleepy or lose consciousness if their brain does not get enough oxygen or if carbon dioxide levels are very high.

Symptoms of respiratory failure in newborns include rapid breathing, grunting, widening of the nostrils with each breath, a bluish tone to your baby's skin and lips, and a pulling inward of the muscles between the ribs between the ribs while breathing. 

Complications

Respiratory failure can cause serious or life-threatening problems such as:

• Arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats)
• Brain injury
• Kidney failure
• Lung damage