Normal oxygen levels can miss severe breathlessness driven by carbon dioxide
A study from UC Riverside suggests that carbon dioxide levels, rather than oxygen saturation, are the primary drivers of breathlessness in patients. This finding challenges current clinical practices that rely heavily on oxygen monitoring to assess respiratory distress.
Why it matters
Improving the accuracy of dyspnea detection could prevent medical errors and ensure that patients on ventilators receive appropriate care for their actual breathing discomfort.
by Iqbal Pittalwala, University of California - Riverside
edited by Stephanie Baum , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
Add as preferred source Credit: Mufid Majnun on Unsplash A study led by biomedical scientist Erica Heinrich at the University of California, Riverside, highlights a critical gap in how clinicians detect and treat breathing distress (dyspnea), particularly in patients on ventilators. The research is published in the journal Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology .
Dyspnea, the medical term for breathing discomfort or shortness of breath, is often hard to recognize. According to Heinrich, "it's often very difficult to tell when a patient is experiencing breathing discomfort," and current clinical approaches may be overlooking it.
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