As COPD advances, these patients cannot maintain a normal respiratory exchange. COPD patients have a reduced ability to exhale carbon dioxide adequately, which leads to hypercapnia.
Why does COPD cause hypercapnia?
Multiple factors in COPD are thought to contribute to the development of hypercapnia including increased carbon dioxide (CO2) production, increased dead space ventilation, and the complex interactions of deranged respiratory system mechanics, inspiratory muscle overload and the ventilatory control center in the ...
Why do COPD patients retain co2?
Patients with late-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are prone to CO2 retention, a condition which has been often attributed to increased ventilation-perfusion mismatch particularly during oxygen therapy.
