Respiratory Failure Treatment in Sharjah

What is respiratory failure?

Every breath has two jobs: taking oxygen into the blood and carrying carbon dioxide, a waste gas, back out. Respiratory failure means one or both jobs are falling behind. Doctors describe two broad patterns. In the first, oxygen in the blood is too low. In the second, carbon dioxide builds up, often because the breathing muscles are exhausted or the airways are narrowed. Many people have a mix of both.

The illness usually sits somewhere else, such as an infection in the lung or fluid in the chest, and the breathing support gives the body time while that cause is treated.

Who needs it

Respiratory failure can develop over hours or over several days. Common causes include:

• Pneumonia or another serious chest infection
• A flare-up of COPD or a severe asthma attack
• Fluid on the lungs, often linked to the heart working less strongly
• Breathing that tires after major surgery, particularly on the chest or abdomen
• Severe infection elsewhere in the body that strains the lungs

Families often notice the signs first: fast or laboured breathing, difficulty finishing a sentence, drowsiness, confusion, or lips turning bluish. Longer-term lung conditions are looked after by our Pulmonology team, who also advise the ICU on your relative's chest.

What happens

At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, treatment begins with measuring the problem precisely. The key test is an arterial blood gas: a small blood sample, usually taken from the artery at the wrist, which shows the oxygen level, the carbon dioxide level and how acidic the blood has become. It stings briefly, and the result is ready within minutes. The test is repeated as treatment goes on, so the team can see whether each step is helping.

Support then follows a ladder, with the gentlest effective step chosen first:

1. Oxygen by nasal tubes or a face mask. Some patients need only this. For people with long-standing COPD, oxygen is given to a carefully set target, which may be lower than families expect, because too much oxygen can make carbon dioxide rise further.
2. Non-invasive ventilation, a firm mask sealed over the nose and mouth that gives each breath a push. It is especially helpful when carbon dioxide is high. The mask feels tight, and nurses help your relative adjust to it, with short breaks to drink or speak where safe.
3. A ventilator through a breathing tube, when the mask is too little or your relative is too tired or drowsy. This step is explained on our ventilator support page.

Alongside breathing support, the cause is treated: antibiotics for infection, medicines to open the airways, medicines to remove excess fluid, and physiotherapy by referral to help clear phlegm. Chest X-rays and continuous oxygen monitoring on a finger clip guide each decision.

Preparing for it

Respiratory failure often arrives quickly, and families usually have a short time to gather information. What helps most:

• Tell the team about breathing history: home oxygen, inhalers, a home breathing machine, past admissions, and whether your relative smokes or has recently stopped.
• Bring the medicines themselves, or photographs of the boxes and inhalers, so nothing is missed.
• Pick one person to be the family contact, so updates stay consistent and relatives in other countries hear the same news.
• Share what your relative has said about their wishes, including views on breathing machines, and any faith or cultural practices that matter to them.
• Keep a notebook for questions and the doctor's answers.

Visiting arrangements are explained by the unit.

Afterwards

As the lungs recover, support steps down the same ladder in reverse: from ventilator to mask, from mask to oxygen, then to breathing room air. Your relative may feel breathless on small efforts and tired for some weeks. Sitting out of bed, gentle walking with help and breathing exercises all rebuild strength.

Before discharge, the team reviews inhalers and any home oxygen, and arranges follow-up with the chest specialists where helpful. Ask for a written plan for what to do if breathing worsens.

While your relative is in hospital, raise any worry with the bedside nurse or ask to speak to the doctor. After discharge, call the hospital on 06 599 7777 if breathlessness, cough or phlegm increases, and seek emergency help at once for severe breathlessness, blue lips or new confusion.

Cost and insurance

Treatment for respiratory failure in intensive care is covered by most UAE insurance plans, with notification to the insurer and ongoing approval as the stay continues. The hospital handles pre-approval directly with the insurer, and families are wise to check any plan limits early. The insurance office at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help on 06 599 7777.