Silent or ‘Happy’ Hypoxemia: An Urgent Dilemma for COVID-19 Patient Care
Calixto Machado-Curbelo
Abstract
A perplexing clinical aspect of COVID-19 is presentation of patients with pronounced hypoxemia without expected signs of respiratory distress or dyspnea, even when cyanotic. Nonetheless, these patients frequently leapfrog clinical evolution stages and suffer acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), with concomitant cardiorespiratory arrest and death.[1] This phenomenon is referred to as silent or 'happy' hypoxemia.
Topics & Concepts
HypoxemiaMedicineCardiorespiratory fitnessARDSCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Intensive care medicineRespiratory distressAcute respiratory distressConcomitantDistressCardiologyInternal medicineAnesthesiaLungDiseaseClinical psychologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)Respiratory Support and MechanismsThermal Regulation in MedicineLong-Term Effects of COVID-19