Key points • Pulmonary ultrasound allows for rapid diagnosis of pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, pneumonia, and intrathoracic free fluid. • Pulmonary ultrasound is more sensitive and specific than chest radiograph for…

Undifferentiated patients in respiratory distress require immediate attention in the emergency department. Using a thorough history and clinical examination, clinicians can determine the most likely causes of dyspnea. Understanding the…

Patients in respiratory distress often require airway management, including endotracheal intubation. It takes a methodical approach to transition from an unstable patient in distress with an unsecured airway, to a…

Mechanical ventilation has a long and storied history, but until recently the process required little from the emergency physician. In the modern emergency department, critically ill patients spend a longer…

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) improves oxygenation and ventilation, prevents endotracheal intubation, and decreases the mortality rate in select patients with acute respiratory failure. Although NIV is used commonly for acute exacerbations…

Acute dyspnea in older patients is a common presentation to the emergency department. Acute dyspnea in older adults is often the consequence of multiple overlapping disorders, such as pneumonia precipitating…

Acute asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are the most common respiratory diseases requiring emergent medical evaluation and treatment. Asthma and COPD are chronic, debilitating disease processes that…

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is defined by acute diffuse inflammatory lung injury invoked by a variety of systemic or pulmonary insults. Despite medical progress in management, mortality remains 27%…