AUTHOR=Liu Wanglin , Ding Xin , He Huaiwu , Long Yun , Cui Na 

TITLE=Screening for the causes of refractory hypoxemia in critically ill patients: A case report

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 9 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.1065319

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2022.1065319

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=Hypoxemia is defined as a low oxygen level in the blood. It is most commonly seen in critically ill patients and is a very common reason for admitting to intensive care unit (ICU). Hypoxemia could cause tissue hypoxia and lead to organ failure and life-threatening conditions [1]. There are various causes of hypoxemia including hypoventilation, lung ventilation/perfusion mismatch, right-to-left shunt, diffusion impairment, and low inspired partial pressure of oxygen [2]. Identifying the right cause and correcting hypoxemia in time is crucially important for critical patients. The authors present a case of middle-aged patient who developed unusual acute and severe hypoxemia after receiving a congenital atrial defect repair surgery. A series of assessments were performed for this patient to identify and treat the severe hypoxemia.