respiratory failure respiratory failure respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. a drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial carbon dioxide levels is called hypercapnia. respiratory failure is classified as either type 1 or type 2, based on whether there is a high carbon dioxide level, and can be acute or chronic. in clinical trials, the definition of respiratory failure usually includes increased respiratory rate, abnormal blood gases (hypoxemia, hypercapnia, or both), and evidence of increased work of breathing. respiratory failure causes an altered mental status due to ischemia in the brain. respiratory failurerespiratory systemspecialtypulmonology, intensive care medicine the typical partial pressure reference values are oxygen pa o2 more than 80 mmhg (11 kpa) and carbon dioxide pa co2 less than 45 mmhg (6.0 kpa). cause several types of conditions can potentially result in respiratory failure: conditions that reduce the flow of air into and out of the lungs, including physical obstruction by foreign bodies or masses and reduced breathing due to drugs or changes to the chest. conditions that impair the lungs' blood supply. these include thromboembolic conditions and conditions that reduce the output of the right heart, such as right heart failure and some myocardial infarctions. conditions that limit the ability of the lung tissue to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and the air within the lungs. any disease which can damage the lung tissue can fit into this category. the most common causes are (in no particular order) infections, interstitial lung disease, and pulmonary oedema.