What Are the Treatments for Respiratory Acidosis?

Respiratory acidosis is a breathing disorder that can cause significant discomfort and, in some instances, death. According to the Medscape website, this condition is due to alveolar hypoventilation. When this condition is present, rapid production of carbon dioxide occurs, and the absence of proper ventilation leads to the partial arterial pressure of carbon dioxide (PACO2) to rise. Fortunately, treatments for this condition do exist.

CPAP

• One of the treatment methods doctors prescribe is continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP. This medical device is generally used to treat people with conditions such as sleep apnea. A portable machine generates a continuous flow of room air at specific pressure settings determined by a pulmonologist via a mask while the patient sleeps.

Mechanical Ventilation

• Mechanical ventilation is similar to CPAP in that the patient receives oxygen via a machine. The treatment can be non-invasive, with a mask over the nose and mouth, or can involve surgery, such as the internal placement of an intertrachial tube. Physicians prescribe this procedure when a patient cannot easily maintain a sufficient airway as demonstrated by clinical signs as well as laboratory reports.

Smoking Cessation

• Any treatment plan for respiratory acidosis must involve a plan to quit smoking. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, self-hypnosis and other techniques are helpful but should be discussed with the patient's doctor. A physician should also be consulted before the patient begins any regimen involving the use of nicotine patches, gums or sprays.

Oxygen Therapy

• According to the University of Maryland, oxygen therapy is prescribed is the patient has a low oxygen saturation level. Doctors measure blood oxygen levels with an oximeter that is placed on the patient's finger. According to the Mayo Clinic, hypoxemia occurs when blood oxygen content drops below 90 percent. A reading between 95 and 100 percent is normal. Doctors consider anything 80 percent or below as hypoxemia, or severe low blood oxygen, a medical emergency.