Airway & Respiratory Failure
Severe Asthma and Dynamic Hyperinflation
Severe asthma becomes dangerous when airflow obstruction turns ventilation into a mechanical trap. The immediate concern is often oxygen saturation, but the physiology that kills many intubated asthma patients is dynamic hyperinflation.
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Cardiology & Hemodynamics
Pulmonary Hypertension and Right Ventricular Failure in Critical Illness
Pulmonary hypertension turns the right ventricle into a high-risk chamber. The right ventricle is designed to eject blood into a low-pressure pulmonary circulation. When pulmonary vascular resistance rises, the RV may dilate, lose contractile efficiency, and fail.
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Shock
A Physiologic Approach to Undifferentiated Shock
Shock is not a blood pressure diagnosis. Shock is inadequate tissue perfusion. The blood pressure may be low, normal, or temporarily supported by compensatory physiology. The key bedside task is identifying what is limiting oxygen delivery.
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