How Do You Treat Refractory Hypoxemia

If hypoxemia persists despite application of lung protective ventilation, additional therapies including inhaled vasodilators, prone positioning, recruitment maneuvers, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, neuromuscular blockade (NMB), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation may be needed.

How do you correct refractory hypoxemia?

Clinicians may be required to use a variety of therapies to mitigate life-threatening hypoxemia: high-frequency ventilation (HFV), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), or prone ventilation.

What does refractory hypoxemia mean?

There is no standard definition of refractory hypoxemia, and this term usually considered when there is inadequate arterial oxygenation despite optimal levels of inspired oxygen. There is significant heterogeneity in opinions among intensivists regarding the definition, as demonstrated by a recent survey.