Why Obesity Predisposes to Severe Respiratory Failure

Jefferson: The lungs of seven percent of all intensive care unit patients will fill up with fluid causing a 30 to 50 percent chance of death from a condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This syndrome has few options for treatment, progresses quickly and is still poorly understood biologically, and being obese is an important risk factor. Using animal models of ARDS, researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have uncovered a mechanism that appears to explain why obesity predisposes patients to developing ARDS, and in the process, might have discovered a novel strategy for preventing ARDS in obese individuals.

Development of Portable Artificial Lung

Baltimore: A new partnership between the University of Maryland and Breethe, Inc. is the next step in bringing a portable artificial lung to patients with respiratory failure. The Baltimore Business Journal covered the announcement between UM Ventures, the university's commercialization office, and Breethe, Inc., founded in 2014 by Bartley Griffith, MD, professor of surgery and executive director of the Program in Lung Healing at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The backpack-size blood oxygenation machine will allow hospital-bound patients to return to their homes while using the device. Breethe, Inc., founded by a UMB School of Medicine faculty member and based at the BioPark, has been selected as the featured start-up for the March 12th Committee meeting. The company is developing the world's first wearable artificial lung and licensed its technology from UMB. Dr. Bartley Griffith, the co-founder, is a professor of surgery at UMB's School of Medicine. Dr. Griffith's clinical work focuses on coronary artery surgery, mitral and aortic valve replacement and aneurysmal disease of the thoracic aorta. He has directed more than 1,200 heart transplants and 600 lung transplants.

Respiratory failure

Respiratory failure happens when not enough oxygen passes from your lungs into your blood. Your body's organs, such as your heart and brain, need oxygen-rich blood to work well. Respiratory failure also can happen if your lungs can't remove carbon dioxide (a waste gas) from your blood. Too much carbon dioxide in your blood can harm your body's organs.

Diseases and conditions that affect your breathing can cause respiratory failure. Examples include

• Lung diseases such as COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, and cystic fibrosis
• Conditions that affect the nerves and muscles that control breathing, such as spinal cord injuries, muscular dystrophy and stroke
• Damage to the tissues and ribs around the lungs. An injury to the chest can cause this damage.
• Drug or alcohol overdose
• Injuries from inhaling smoke or harmful fumes

Treatment for respiratory failure depends on whether the condition is acute (short-term) or chronic (ongoing) and how severe it is. It also depends on the underlying cause. You may receive oxygen therapy and other treatment to help you breathe.